Melissa

On Sunday we had some friends over for Thai food, and I made the best curry I've ever done - I researched a new way to cook it, and it turned out AMAZING. For those of you who haven't tried making Thai curry before, it is not hard at all - I can get you the curry and fish sauce, and you can get the rest from the grocery store! It is seriously SO GOOD.

Thai Coconut Curry (Panang)

3 Tbsp. panang curry paste

2 cans coconut milk (NOT low-fat)

2 lemongrass leaves (if you can find them - I have to go to a Mexican market)

1-2 chicken breasts or pork chops thinly sliced into bite-sized squares

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 Tbps. brown sugar

5-6 bay leaves

1/2 C. peas

Prepare all ingredients beforehand: slice meat, wash lemongrass and remove outer layers, then cut off top and bottom. Twist and bend them so the oils will come out when cooking. Open cans of coconut milk, stir them. (I've had it where they separated before into liquids and solids; I just stirred them together & they were fine.)

Fry curry paste in a few Tbsp. of olive oil in a large saucepan, add 1/4 can coconut milk at a time, incorporating each before adding next. Add lemongrass, chicken & bay leaves - cook until chicken is done. Add fish sauce (not as gross as it sounds; it's basically a salty, savoury liquid), brown sugar, & rest of coconut milk. Add peas and simmer until everything is warm and fragrant. Best served with Jasmine rice (it does make a difference - Jasmine rice is very oriental tasting.)

I'm also planning to make a few Holiday treats since Levi's family will all be here. Here are some of the things I'm going to be trying:

Cranberry-Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip

INGREDIENTS:
12 ounces fresh cranberries
4-5 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 (8 ounces each) packages cream cheese, light or regular, softened
Crackers, for serving

DIRECTIONS:
Pulse the cranberries in a food processor or blender until coarsely chopped (alternately, you can do this task by hand). Add the green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, sugar, cumin, lemon juice and salt and pulse until the ingredients are well combined and finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a covered bowl or tupperware and refrigerate for 4 hours (or up to overnight) so the flavors have time to develop and the cranberries lose a bit of their tartness.

When ready to serve, spread the cream cheese in an even layer on a serving plate or 9-inch pie dish. Top with the cranberry-jalapeno mixture, spreading evenly over the top of the cream cheese.

Refrigerate for up to an hour before serving. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Ultimate 7-Layer Dip

INGREDIENTS:
Tomato Layer:
4 large tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped fine
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 green onions, finely minced
2 tablespoons lime juice (from about 2 limes)
1/8 teaspoon salt

Guacamole Layer:
2 green onions, sliced thin, green and white parts separated
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice (from about 2 limes)
3 avocados, pitted, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Salt to taste

Black Bean Layer:
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained but not rinsed
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sour Cream Layer:
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Cheese Layer:
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Tortilla chips, for serving

DIRECTIONS:
For the tomato layer, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, minced green onions, and lime juice. Stir in salt and let stand until tomatoes begin to soften, about 30 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer or colander and discard the liquid. Set aside.

For the guacamole, in a small bowl, combine the white parts of the green onions, jalapeno, garlic and lime juice. Let sit for 30 minutes. Add two-thirds of the avocado to the bowl with the jalapeno mixture and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Gently fold remaining avocado into mashed avocado mixture. Gently stir in the green parts of the green onions and the cilantro. Season with salt. Set aside.

Pulse black beans, garlic, remaining lime juice, chili powder, and remaining salt in a food processor until mixture resembles a chunky paste. Transfer to a glass 8X8 or 9X9-inch dish or similar sized bowl, spreading into an even layer. Quickly rinse and wipe out the food processor and pulse the sour cream, 1 cup pepper jack cheese cheese and 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese until smooth. Dollop the sour cream mixture on top of the black bean layer, smoothing to the edges in an even layer.

Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese. Spread guacamole over cheese and top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with additional sliced green onions, if desired, and serve with tortilla chips. The dip can be tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Angela

I was sick last week, so we had:
chinese takeout
subway
potato chips and candy canes
boiled potatoes and sour cream
chinese takeout again

We killed a pig this weekend, so this week we are having,
browned pork chops cooked in rice mixed with cream of mushroom soup
sausage gravy over biscuits
pork fajitas
fried pork steaks and some veggies or salad
pork sausage (not links) mixed with cooked rice, spicy tomatoes, peppers, and topped with tender cabbage with melted cheese on top.

Melissa

Okay, now I have try the pork and potato dinner - Patrea's posted it twice; its gotta be good! I decided to add the recipe for the tacos I made (from my previous menu) because they turned out SO good. I was sick of ground beef, and I wanted some chicken. I was thinking Cafe Rio style, and I just wanted it tender and juicy on the inside, and blackened and tasty on the outside. So here's what I did:

Preheat oven to 350. Slice 2-4 chicken breasts in half the hot dog way. Spread a large piece of tinfoil in a baking pan (big enough to fold over and completely encase the chicken. Sprinkle salt down on the tinfoil, line the chicken in the pan (1 layer if you can manage it). Sprinkle salt on the tops of the chicken, fold tinfoil over. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Use broth in rice or sauce if you are going to make it. Cut cooked chicken into bite sized strips. In a gallon plastic bag combine 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil, 3-4 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce, 2-3 tsp. garlic salt, 1-2 tsp. onion powder and a few dashes of lime juice. (I just eyeballed it, just add those ingredients to your taste.) Add cooked chicken to coat. Heat a large skillet on the stove on high (get it really hot.) Dump chicken into skillet, let sear a few seconds on each side. Remove, and serve on soft, warm tortillas with shredded lettuce, grated cheese, sour cream, and salsa.

Patrea

Sorry I haven't posted my recipes in so long! Here's what's cooking at the Hansen's this week....

Turkey Sandwiches
Using all of our leftover turkey from thanksgiving and some yummy Hawaiian Rolls that I always have to have in the house. :)

Pork and Potato Dinner
Shaun always rates my dinners on a scale of 1-5 and this one got a four and a half! It's originally Angela's recipe.


2 pork chops
1 T flour
1 T vegetable oil
2 T and 1 1/2 tsp grated parmesan cheese - divided
1/8 tsp pepper
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp beef bouillon granules
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice


Coat Pork chops with flour. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown chops in oil on both sides. Combine 1 T parmesan cheese and pepper. Sprinkle over chops. Arrange potato and onion slices over chops. Sprinkle with 1 T parmesan. Dissolve bouillon in boiling water. Stir in lemon juice. Pour over chops. sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Cover and simmer for 18-22 min or until meat juices run clear.



Mac and Cheese

Because we have to many boxes in food storage that are expired!!!


Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 lb extra lean ground beef
2 T dehydrated onion
1/4 teas pepper
1 teas salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Sauce
3/4 c packed brown suger
3 T flour
1 1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 c vinegar
3 T soy sauce


In a medium bowl, combine meatball ingredients. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place under the broiler in your oven for 5/7 minutes or until the meatballs begin to brown.

In a large saucepan, whist together the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes stirring often. Serve over hot rice.



Spicy Island Shrimp


1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 c butter
2 1/4 lbs uncooked large shimp, peeled and deveined
2 cans (3 oz each) tomato sauce
3 T chopped green onions
1 T minced fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Hot cooked rice

In a large skillet, saute the green pepper and onion in butter until tender. Reduce heat. Add shrimp. Cook for 5 min. Stir in the tomato sauce, green onions, parsley, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 20 min un until slightly thickened. Serve with rice. Serves 6

Angela

My fingers are too cold to type well because I brought in a load of frozen wood and Brady took my gloves this morning because he couldn't find his.  I just tried to spell my name Anglea.

Anyway, this is what we had last week.  This is my poor mans menu, when we have no money and no hope of getting any for a long time.  But at least I have my wood stove!  Yay!   heehhee.

1.  Onion soup with homemade beef broth and homemade bread and butter
2.  Homemade tortillas with homemade refried beans and cheese inside
3.  Chicken and brocolli casserole over brown rice.  Step 1, kill a chicken.  Step 2, use cabbage instead of broccoli.  Step 3, use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken because I found an old can lurking in the back of my pantry.
4.  Hamburgers.  Homemade pickled beets, homemade ground beef, and homemade brown bread.
5.  Chicken soup with leftover chicken, homemade chicken foot broth, whatever veggies I had in the fridge, and homemade noodles.  Homemade bread and butter.
6.  Hashbrowns made from boiled potatoes, eggs from my chickens.
7.  Pancakes made by soaking equal amounts ground flour and yogurt which I got for free for my pigs (it was one month past date) but was still good enough for me to eat.  (That's right, I got desperate enough that I started eating pigs food.  Next step, return home and hope they prepare a fatted calf.  Oh wait, I have to do that too.)
8.  Prepare fatted calf.  Slow cooked some beef bones.  Fished the meat out for some kind of dinner tonight and froze the broth.  I'll probably make meat pie with it because I have a few shriveled carrots and potatoes left.  I'll boil the veggies in the broth until tender, strain the veggies out and make gravy with the broth, and pour the veggies, gravy, and saved meat into a homemade wheat crust because I ran out of white flour.  Prepare fatted calf?  Check.

Melissa's desserts

Are you hungry yet?

Melissa

Back to regular meals for a few weeks, then more really good bad food for Christmas!

1. Pizza Rolls

2. Reubens:

We had corned beef and cabbage the other night, and with the leftover corned beef we'll be making Reuben Sandwiches.

Corned Beef

Sauerkraut

Thousand island dressing

melted mozzarella or provolone cheese

3. Enchiladas

4. Chicken Parmesan

5. Tacquitas

6. Hamburgers

7. Ziti Al Forno:

This is a quite complicated Italian dish that is grilled chicken, shrimp and prosciutto in a lobster cream sauce over penne noodles. Levi found a professional chef who we took to our favorite Italian restaurant, and was able to reverse engineer the recipe. My friend Jeff is really the only person who can cook it, but I'm going to give it a shot.

Perfect Cut-out Gingerbread

The dilemma with gingerbread cookies is making something that rolls out thin and can be strong enough to make a gingerbread house with, but that could also be cute little gingerbread people for decorating with buttons and frosting, AND that could be soft and yummy enough to eat for a snack! I feel like I've created the perfect recipe for gingerbread that you cut out. I also came up with a really good lemon-cream cheese frosting - tastes like gingerbread cake with lemon sauce.

Gingerbread:

5 1/2 C. flour (this amount keeps in mind the flour you will be mixing in when rolling the dough out.)

1 Tbsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt (may add 1/2 tsp. more)

1 C. melted lard, coconut oil, or vegetable oil

1 C. molasses

1 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. water

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Sift flour with rest of spices. In a mixing bowl cream oil, sugar, molasses, egg & vanilla until well combined. Switch to a dough hook. Gradually add flour mixture. Mix well. Chill as flat and thin as possible (gallon ziploc bag perhaps) for no less than 3 hours. Roll out on floured surface to 1/4" thick, and cut out. Lincoln and I had fun doing little gingerbread men with sprinkles, we did all the Christmas shaped cutters, I did little circles using half of a small easter egg for bite sized cookies, and I did walls and a roof for a gingerbread house too. So fun! Bake @ 350 for 8-10 minutes. (The cookies should not look wet anymore when done; they should be puffed up a bit, but the bottoms and sides should not be browned at all. If you like yours a little crunchier, go ahead and let the bottoms brown a little bit.)

Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting - I did this for the small round cookies in - be careful, I couldn't stop eating them!

8 oz. cream cheese

4 Tbsp. softened butter

1 C. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until well combined. Add the vanilla, lemon juice & zest. Store in refrigerator.

Chicken Cacciatore

From Kim - everyone really liked this dish when I served it the day before Thanksgiving

Chicken Cacciatore

Step One
Olive or canola oil
2 onions
2 green peppers (more or less to taste)
1 can chicken broth

Dice onion and green pepper. Heat oil in large pan and add onion and green pepper. Cook until tender. Add can of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Step two
2 jars or cans of spaghetti sauce (I likes Hunt’s Spaghetti Sauce)
2 14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (I like to blend mine in the blender)

Stir tomatoes and spaghetti sauce into vegetables. Bring to a simmer and let slowly simmer for ½ to 1 hour.

Step three
Non-stick frying pan
2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Oil

While your sauce is simmering, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Combine flour with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken in the flour. Heat oil in non-stick frying pan. Fry the chicken pieces until just barely golden brown. Add them to the sauce.

Step four
2 cloves of garlic (I like to use 1 teaspoon minced garlic)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil (optional)
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons parsley (optional)
8 oz. of sliced mushrooms

Add the garlic, oregano, basil, sugar, parsley and mushrooms to the sauce. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Serve over noodles. (I like to use fettucine noodles)

English Tea Scones with Special Jam

2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons butter
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
1 beaten egg (another one)

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter till crumbly. Combine 1 beaten egg and milk. Add to flour mixture and stir just till dough clings together.

On lightly floured surface, knead lightly, about 6 strokes. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into ball. Pat or roll to 6 inch circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Sapce slightly aprart on ungreased baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg.

Bake at 400 oven 12-15 minutes. Can burn easily on the bottom so watch carefully.

Special Jam
favorite jam and thawed cool whip.
Mix together slightly so there are big chunks of jam and white dots of whip cream.
Enjoy on top of scones

Angela

This week

Friday: leftovers

Saturday: leftovers

Sunday: leftovers

Monday: turkey soup

Tuesday: turkey fajitas

Wednesday: turkey sandwiches

I also made that cranberry salad and was worried I didn't make enough, it was just a small bowl, but it wasn't even half gone at the end. I'm not that fond of it myself, but it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it!

For Thanksgiving we had:

23 pound turkey

mashed potatoes and gravy

stuffing

homemade pickled beets (more on this later)

cranberry sauce

cranberry salad

green bean casserole

candied yams

cranberry ginger ale

homemade crescent butter rolls

cranberry cheesecake

pumpkin cheesecake

chocolate eclairs and cream puffs

To make homemade pickled beets, (I got a 50 pound bag of humongous beets really cheap) I roasted the beets in the oven in foil like a potato, peeled and sliced, packed in a half gallon jar (an old pickle jar I saved) and poured a brine over them. The brine is 2 cups sugar, 2 cups cider vinegar, and 2 cups water, boiled 3 minutes. I just leave this in the fridge until they are gone! It should last 3-4 months, but I'm sure they will be gone fast, Charlotta thinks they are better than candy.

Melissa - Thanksgiving

Well! Thanksgiving was a success, even if I didn't get to spend it with any of you. :( But I did do a rotisserie chicken, and holy cow - it was SO GOOD!!! Everyone LOVED it. It was flavorful throughout the entire thing, and perfectly moist - I seriously cannot recall a single time that I've had home cooked chicken with moist breast meat before this. I never liked the white meat because it was always so dry. But oh.......my........gosh. It was amazing. Here's what I did:

Whole roasted chicken

5 lb. chicken

2 Tbsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

The night before you want to cook it: Remove giblets from chicken, rinse. Run fingers under skin, separating it from the meat but trying not to tear it. Cut small slashes above the legs, and several on the front and back. Combine all spices. Rub most of the spices under the skin, using the small slashes as access holes for the legs and wings. Rub remaining spices on skin. Place in gallon ziploc bag, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, turn the chicken over. When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove from ziploc bag, and completely wrap in tinfoil (shiny side in) or in turkey bag. Place in baking dish and roast at 350 for about 20 minutes per pound, plus 15. (Or if you have a rotisserie, it would be about 2 hours.)

I also did the woodford style cranberries. I love this dish, I make it every year. I'm super surprised that no one else gets as excited about it as me, but........more for me!!

Cranberry Salad

1 package cranberries (12 oz.), chopped (I pulse them in a food processor)

1/2 C. sugar (2/3 if you need it more sweet than tart)

1/2 tsp. salt

2-4 C. red grapes, halved

1/2 C. chopped pecans

1 C. whipping cream, whipped with 1/4 C. sugar

Soak cranberries in sugar overnight. Add sliced grapes, nuts & salt. Up to 1 hour before serving, whip cream and fold in. Droooooooooool.

Baklava Cheesecake

That's right. Baklava. And cheesecake. Together.

Baklava has actually become a Christmas tradition for me. I've made it every year for the past 4 years, and I really love it. I bring it to the ward Christmas party. Here's my regular Baklava recipe, then the cheesecake one - which I totally made up (although I'd heard of Baklava cheesecake before, and that's why I wanted to try one.)

Melissa's Baklava

Syrup (make first):

3/4 C. sugar

3/4 C. water

1/3 C. honey

1 tsp lemon juice (it doesn't seem like much, but trust me: you don't want to overdo it.)

Combine ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool in refrigerator while making pastry part.

Pastry:

8 oz. phyllo dough (from the frozen section, it will be in a long thin package next to the frozen pies and pie crusts. Just make sure you get phyllo sheets, and not cups.)

1 1/2 C. chopped pecans

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 C. butter, melted

Take one package of phyllo dough out, put rest in freezer. Let thaw unopened several hours on countertop. Mix nuts with cinnamon. Melt butter. Get 9x13 pan ready. Open phyllo package, and working quickly (don't be stressed, its not a big deal if you are not very fast. Just don't let the phyllo dough sit for hours and dry out before you start) layer 5 sheets of dough in baking pan, brushing small amount of butter between each layer. (Try not to saturate dough with butter, it will make it mushy.) After 5 layers, sprinkle 1/3 of the nuts over the top. Layer another 5 sheets with butter, then another 1/3 of the nuts. Repeat, layering the rest of the phyllo dough on top. (Its good if the dough is wrinkly and not lying flat - it will make it flaky and good.) When all assembled, use a sharp knife to cut into bite sized squares or diamonds. Try not to cut all the way through to the bottom, leave a few layers uncut. Bake @ 350 for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and flaky on top. Immediately after removing from oven, pour chilled syrup over the top, making sure to get all the edges and in between all the pieces. Let cool UNcovered, then chill.

Okay. Now that you have an idea for how to make Baklava, here is the Baklava cheesecake.

Baklava Cheesecake

Pastry:

8 oz. phyllo dough, thawed

1 1/2 C. chopped pecans

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. melted butter

Syrup:

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. water

1/4 C. honey

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Filling:

2 packages cream cheese, room temp.

1/2 C. sugar

3 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 eggs, room temp.

Mix all syrup ingredients in small saucepan, bring to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is completely melted. Chill in refrigerator.

Working on filling, mix cream cheese with sugar, honey, cornstarch, & lemon juice. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well between each. Set aside. Mix pecans with cinnamon, melt butter. Lay parchment paper in a cheesecake pan, open phyllo dough. Cut 1/3 off end of phyllo dough, so you have squares rather than rectangles. Layer 5 squares with melted butter brushed in between. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of nut mixture, then layer 5 more squares. Pour cheesecake on top. On cutting board start layering phyllo dough in layers of 5-6, with 1/3 nut mixture between each, ending with phyllo dough. Use 2 rectangles side by side when squares are all used up. Trim corners of phyllo dough if desired. With sharp knife, cut into 16ths almost to the cutting board, leaving a few layers uncut. Transfer to top of cream cheese filling, trim as desired. Bake @ 350 for 40-45 minutes, or until phyllo dough is golden brown and flaky on top. Remove from oven, and pour chilled syrup over hot Baklava filling carefully, making sure to get between cuts. Let cool to room temperature, then chill overnight. Use cuts in Baklava as a cutting guide.

I totally just tried some a few minutes ago, and it was Greek perfection! YUM.

Melissa - on Poultry

I've been researching cooking poultry for the past few years, mainly experimenting with brining or salting. The basic goal is to get a salt solution into the bird so that it cooks flavorfully. I've discovered that I can do this in two ways - Brining: Soaking the bird in a salt water solution or Salting: Rubbing a salt based rub onto the chicken and letting it absorb. With both of these methods you can use water soluble spices such as paprika, chili powder, and pepper, and you can also use sugar. You can go further in brining, because you can add liquid flavors such as juice concentrates, apple cider, vinegar, soda, etc. Here are the ways to achieve both methods.

Brining:

You'll want the bird completely submerged in liquid.

For every gallon of water, use:

1/2 c. table salt, or 3/4 c. coarse kosher salt

3/4 c. sugar

any spices or flavorings you want to add.

For poultry pieces or small roasting chickens, you can usually fit them into a large pot with room for expansion, and brine them in the fridge (make sure it is covered.)

For larger chickens and turkeys, if they don't fit in the fridge you can use a 5 gallon bucket, or a cooler - but you will need to add bags of ice to keep it cool.

Brining Times:
chicken pieces - 1 to 1 1/2 hours

small chickens (up to 5 lbs.) - 4-12 hours

turkeys - 1 to 2 days

After brining, be sure to rinse VERY thoroughly. Then add whatever seasonings you want on the outside, and cook.

Salting: The theory behind this is that when you rub a salt and spice combination on the bird, it will start to draw the moisture out of the chicken. Wait! Keep reading. After about 3 hours, all the moisture will be on the surface of the chicken, and will start dissolving the salt. At that point the ratio of liquid inside the chicken is less than on the outside, and will begin to be drawn back in, but with the salt and spices along with it. After 6 hours, the liquid is back inside the chicken, along with lots of flavor! I am trying this method tomorrow.

The advantage to this is that it uses less ingredients - you need 1/2 a cup of salt and lots of spices to flavor a brine (most of which you have to throw away when the bird is done brining), but with this salting method you only use a few Tablespoons and don't waste much. I'm not sure about an advantage in taste, but I'll be finding out soon!

Salt rub:

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

1/2 - 2 tsp. other spices

I think I'll be using:

2 Tbsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. onion powder (this is fat soluble, which means it probably won't be drawn into the chicken, but it will flavor the outside).

1/2 tsp. garlic powder - also fat soluble

1/2 tsp. ground thyme

Rub inside the skin, cover and refrigerate 6-8 hours

Roast!

Melissa

We just got a new grill! It is AWESOME. We cooked some hamburgers for dinner tonight, and tomorrow we are having some friends over to help us test drive some steaks. It comes with a rotisserie attachment, and I think I am going to try rotisserie cooking a chicken for Thanksgiving!

Angela

So I never did find an onion soup recipe that didn't call for alcohol, but I did figure out how to make it. I just left the alcohol out. I fried 4 onions in butter until they started to brown. Then I added some flour, I think it was 1/2 cup. I cooked the onions and flour for a while, and added 2 tsp salt which Miriam said was too salty. I thought it was perfect. Brady said maybe a little too salty. Then I added 4 cups homemade beef broth and let it bubble for a while. Homemade bread and butter on the side. It WAS SO GOOD. I couldn't believe I have never made it yet. I'm totally making it again tomorrow.

Kim
Wow Angela! What a lot of work. I sure loved the venison steaks you served us while we were there, and dad said it was fantastic.

Melissa, I'm interested. Did Lincoln eat the spinach salad? It sounds good!

Melissa

Besides pizza, this is how we ended last week:

Spinach Bacon Salad

baby spinach (enough for a salad to feed the whole family)

8 oz. swiss cheese, cubed or thin stamp-sized pieces

6-8 oz. thinly sliced mushrooms, raw

1/2 package bacon, cooked and chopped

dressing:

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. vinegar

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. yellow mustard

Mix all salad ingredients together, mix all dressing ingredients together. Toss. (I add the dressing to 1/2 the salad at a time, because if I don't eat it all in one night it goes soggy by the next day.) This would also be good with bleu cheese crumbles instead of swiss cheese, and craisins. Yummy!

Now I am all out of steam from cooking good dinners all last week. Leftovers tonight!

Angela

I spent half the morning skinning and cutting up a deer today. It's too bad that you usually waste half the deer by blasting a hole through it, making the meat around it bloodshot and inedible. I just cut the deer in half and hoisted that half into the pig pen, leaving the nice clean half for me to carve steaks off of. I got 8 meal sized bags of steaks (I have to add more steaks to a bag nowadays because my family is growing so big and hungry (It would have been 12 bags 2 years ago)), and about 8 pounds of hamburger meat for me to grind up. Took me about 2 1/2 hours. If you say we can eat a meal using one pound of hamburger (might be wishful thinking with my eager eaters), that is 16 meals off of one deer! It was a big deer though. Backstrap the size of my palm instead of those tiny nugget steaks we got off the tiny deer last year. Hopefully we will have at least 2 more deer coming our way in the next week. Hopefully we will have 10! You never know with hunters. Sometimes they get something, sometimes they don't. If we get 2 more deer that size, that would be 48 bags of meat and we can eat deer once a week this next year for only 7 hours work. Awesome. Sure beats a chicken, which takes me 1/2 hour each time and yields only one meal. That's 5 meals for 2 1/2 hours work. Cows win though, with about 12 hours work and enough cow to eat 5 times a week for a year! Wish I had another cow growing, I'm getting low......

Angela

1. Fried potatoes and polish sausage.

Cut the potatoes into cubes. Fry them in butter. Salt and pepper. Slice polish sausage and add them near the end.

2. Pot roast.

Meat, potatoes, carrots, cabbage in a crockpot with a little water and some lipton onion soup mix sprinkled over the top.

3. Chicken broccoli casserole.

Chop up some cooked chicken. Steam some broccoli. Mix 2 cans cream of mushroom soup with 2 cups of sour cream. Add a little lemon juice. Put all of that in a cake pan, sprinkle it with cheese, and bake it until the cheese is melty. Serve it over rice. I use brown rice.

4. Corned beef and cabbage. Yay! I finally found corned beef!

5. French onion soup and fresh bread. I am still looking for an onion soup recipe that doesn't call for alcohol. I'll do an internet search sometime.

6. Hash browns, eggs, sausages. Classic.

7. Chunky cheese soup.

Chop up some celery, potatoes, onions, and carrots. Boil them in about 4 cups of broth or water for 1/2 hour or so. Dice some ham.

Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a saucepan. Stir in 1/4 cup of flour and let it bubble a bit. Gradually add 2 cups of milk, stirring well. When it is cooked and thickened, add 2 cups grated cheese and stir it. Pour that into the vegetable pot and stir it some more. Do not bring it to a boil. Eat it!

Italian Meatball Soup

This is the best soup for Autumn that I have ever tasted. I'm making it for Greg's birthday party tomorrow.

Italian Meatball Soup
1 recipe of Italian meatballs (recipe follows)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth
1 cup water
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups small pasta (like macaroni) uncooked
2 cups spinach, thinly sliced

1. When preparing meatballs, make them small and bite-sized. Broil the meatballs according to the recipe directions until they are just brown and can maintain their shape.

2. While the meatballs are cooking, heat olive oil in a large stockpot. Saute the onions and garlic until translucent. add broth, water, tomatoes, and italian seasoning. Heat to boiling. Gently add the meatballs, carrots, and spinach. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook unil pasta is al dente.

Italian Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
1 pound italian sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/4 cup dehydrated onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon white sugar

1. Turn the oven to 400. When heated, turn to broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

2. Gently combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Shape the meat mixture into meatballs. A cookie scoop is great to do this. Place meatballs on baking sheet.

3. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 7-10 minutes or until the meatballs are becoming brown and fragrant. If you are going to be simmering the meatballs in soup it's best to cook them until they're just brown so they can finish cooking in the soup and release some of their flavor into the cooking liquid.

4. Enjoy! Tastes even better the second day.

Cabbage Recipes

Japanese Salad - This is my mom's; I really like it!

2 C. cooked, cubed chicken

1/2 head cabbage, chopped (bite sized squares)

1 package ramen noodles, uncooked and broken into bite sized pieces

2 green onions, finely sliced

2 Tbsp. slivered almonds (opt.)

2 Tbsp. sesame or sunflower seeds (opt.)

dressing:

1 package ramen seasonings

3 Tbsp. vinegar

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/3 C. oil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Combine salad ingredients in large bowl, set aside. Combine dressing ingredients and mix well. Pour over salad and shake/toss until completely coated.

Hot "Artichoke" Dip - I've found cabbage to be as satisfying as artichoke hearts, and have had some success in substituting it for certain recipes.

1/4 - 1/3 head cabbage, lightly steamed or boiled (3-5 min.)

1 C. miracle whip

1 C. parmesan cheese

1 4oz. can diced green chiles

1 garlic clove, minced

Heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients & spoon into shallow baking dish (pie pan, 8x8 pan etc.) Bake 20-25 min. or until lightly browned and bubbling. Serve with crackers or chips.

"Artichoke" Chicken Bake

1 1/2 C. uncooked corkscrew pasta

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 med. onion, minced

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

2 C. cooked chopped chicken

1 can (14 oz.) Italian spiced tomatoes, diced

1 can (6 oz.) sliced black olives

1/2 head cabbage, chopped & lightly steamed or boiled

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta. Drain & set aside. Heat oil in LARGE frying pan. Sautee onion & pepper 1 min. Add chicken, tomatoes, pasta, cabbage, olives & seasoning. Mix until combined. Place 1/2 in greased 9x13 baking pan, sprinkle 1 cup of cheese on top. Repeat. Cover with foil & bake 30 min. Uncover & bake 10 min. more to brown cheese.

Angela

I have 15 cabbages I have to eat in the next 3 months. That is how long I can keep a cabbage in the fridge. Anybody have a good recipe that uses cabbage? I have corned beef and cabbage, a casserole with meat and rice topped with cabbage and cheese, plain old steamed cabbage with cheese sauce, saurkraut, soup with thinly sliced cabbage, and pot roast. Brady is the only one here who enjoys coleslaw, so that is out. Also I am about to get 20 pounds of beets if anyone has any good beet recipes. I could use a new pickled beet recipe too.

Angela

Brady brought home 12 pumpkins someone was giving away so we had PUMPKIN COOKIES for dinner tonight!

Coming up: Pumkin bread, pumpkin stew, pumpkin pie, pumpkin with butter and salt, soups with pureed pumpkin, and of course, pumpkin cheesecake!

Melissa

Lots of good dinners this week - I felt bad about the frozen food and cookie dinner from earlier. I'm thinking about starting to post our recipes on our Cheesecake website - change it so it has more categories for other food. What do you think Angela?

Chicken Alfredo

This is a recipe that does not use cream or butter (if you choose) and tastes better than any cream based Alfredo sauce I've ever tasted! It is SOOO good. (Btw Angela, I found that coconut oil Patrea was talking about at Walmart! LouAna brand, by the oils and lards - white cylinder container with a big picture of a coconut on it with a black lid. And it doesn't taste or smell like coconut.)

1-2 chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. coconut oil (or butter)

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

4 oz. cream cheese softened

1 C. milk

1/4 C. chicken broth (from cooking chicken)

1 C. grated Parmesan cheese (fresh if you can)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Slice chicken breasts the hot dog way, place in foil in a baking pan. Sprinkle with salt, wrap completely in foil. Bake @ 350 for 30-40 min. Remove from pan, chop chicken into bite sized pieces and reserve broth.

Melt oil in saucepan. Sautee garlic on med-low for 2 min. Add cream cheese in pieces, stirring until melted and smooth. Add milk & broth 1/4 C. at a time until incorporated and smooth. Stir in Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper. Let bubble 1-2 more min, add chopped chicken. Serve over hot cooked noodles! (I used angel hair, but these would also be good: corkscrew, penne, bowties, linguine, fettucini.)

Baked Potatoes

I tried doing baked potatoes with some oil rubbed on the skin and a little salt sprinkled on them before wrapping them in tinfoil. They turned out really good! I also do little ham cubes as a topping along with sour cream, butter, cheese, & salt.

Tacos

Hard or soft shells, cooked and seasoned ground beef or chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream. Yum.

Fish

1 Tilapia filet for each person eating

citrus grill seasonings/any fish seasoning you prefer

butter

couscous or flavored rice (Rice-a-Roni or Rice Sides), I like the butter & herb flavor

Thaw fish. Layer it in a baking dish, sprinkle seasonings liberally. (Fish needs flavor!) Top with pats of butter, cover with foil & bake @ 350 for 30-45 min (depending on how much fish - avoid double layers.) Serve with flavored rice & broccoli.

Chinese

I have lots of chinese food recipes including:

General Tso's chicken

Lemon chicken

Chinese lettuce wraps

egg rolls

Hot & Sour soup

steamed chinese buns

I haven't decided what to make yet.

Angela

Tonight's dinner: I planned to make fried eggs on toast. Here is what actually happened.

3:15: Brady struts into the house saying he just finished my chicken plucker he has been building and we should go pluck a chicken. I evaluate the time and decide a quick switch to chicken and potatoes for dinner would work out just fine. I peel some potatoes super fast, plop them in water, and put my canning pot on to boil to scald the chicken in for plucking. Brady goes to wash his hands and eat some toast.

3:30 We head outside with sharpened knives to find it has started to rain. No problem, we will be inside in a jiffy with an awesome new chicken plucker. We haul the scalding pot of water outside next to the chicken plucker and watch the raindrops plip in it. Brady goes to get a chicken and we debate over the many ways to kill it ending with Brady deciding to poke the knife through it's brain and then slit it's throat.

3:35 Brady pokes the knife into the chicken's brain so hard that it goes right through the chicken and stabs the palm of Brady's hand. Undaunted, he maintains enough composure to continue on and slit it's throat, then makes a mad dash inside to assess the damage leaving me to hold the chicken through it's death struggle during which I am liberally sprayed with chicken blood. (Or was it Brady's?) When it is all over I put the chicken on some clean cardboard in the rain and rush inside to help Brady.

3:45 We emerge outside after bandaging Brady's hand which has a very deep and painful puncture would right in the pad. We dunk the chicken in the scalding water and turn on the chicken plucker! Nothing could make us miss this momentous occasion where the plucking is the easiest part! How long we have dreamed of never plucking by hand again. Alas, the rain made the belt slippery and the chicken plucker is not working. The belt just slips. We exchange dismayed looks and go to plan two; skinning the little bugger.

4:00 We bring the chicken inside for gutting. Gutting goes without a hitch.

4:15 I rub herbs all over the nekked chicken and pop him in the oven to roast.

Currently starving and can't wait to eat! Will finish the mashed potatoes and cook some frozen peas.

Melissa

Levi's birthday dinner

We had some friends over for Levi's birthday dinner, and had some amazing bacon guacamole burgers! Here's what we did:

Burgers:

ground hamburger

worcestershire sauce

salt

pepper

Mix together, flatten into patties (they need to be a lot thinner and wider than you want them to actually be - they shrink when they cook).

Fry in frying pan, griddle, or grill. Top with cheese.

Guacamole:

4 ripe avacados

1/2 onion, minced

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 roma tomatoes, diced

Blend first 4 ingredients. Dump into serving bowl, stir in tomatoes.

Bacon Guac Burgers:

Assemble burgers as normal (patty, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, mustard, etc.). Layer several slices of bacon on, then spread a thick layer of guacamole. DELICIOUS!

Just a quick list this week.

1. Hamburgers with the last of the tomatoes my mom brought and boring old bread instead of buns.

2. Baked potatoes and frozen peas.

3. Stew. Simmer some meat chunks all morning. Add salt and some vegetables. Simmer the rest of the day. Bake bread or rolls.

4. Vegetable bean soup. Soak beans, cook them in a slow cooker. Toss them in a pot with some veggies and salt. I have some leftover mashed sweet potato in the fridge I will use in it too. Simmer them all afternoon. I have a handheld blender I stick right in the pot to blend it a little and make it thicker.

5. Cheese fries. Our old standby for when we have no food in the house. Slice and bake potatoes and put seasoning salt on top. Sprinkle with cheese, make some fry sauce.

6. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

7. Bean and cheese quessadillas. I have no idea how to spell that. Soak some beans. Cook in a slow cooker. Add salt, garlic powder, maybe some onion. Mash a little, or blend. Make sure it isn't too runny. Make or buy tortillas. Put some beans and cheese in the middle of two and heat in a skillet (or your super awesome tortilla maker. Oh wait, it's MINE!) Flip it over. Serve with sour cream or guac or nothing.

Melissa

This week has been crazy because I had just gotten back from Missouri (yay), and was trying to plan a Halloween Party (which was tonight, and it was awesome!) so my meals were less than great. But at least read about the cheese fries one, because they did turn out really great.

Frozen Pizza

Take a frozen pizza out of a box. Cook it in the oven. Eat it.

Frozen Chicken Pot-Pie

Take a frozen chicken pot-pie out of a box. Microwave it for 5 minutes. Eat it.

Cheese Fries (feeds 3)

6 med.-lg. potatoes

1/2 package bacon

1-2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

jalepeno slices (from a jar - can find by the pickles & olives)

Peel and slice potatoes into fries. Toss in bowl with a little olive oil, and some salt. Bake @ 450 for 30-35 minutes. While baking, cook the bacon, drain and chop. Mince some jalepeno slices. When fries are done, stir them up and arrange them close together. Sprinkle the bacon & jalepenos over (jalepenos on half if you have picky people). Generously sprinkle with cheese, and return to the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Serve with fry sauce and ranch dressing.

Chicken Parmesan

Go to a restaurant and order Chicken Parmesan. Eat it.

Cookies and Soda

Throw a Halloween party and ask everyone to bring something. You will probably have cookies and soda for dinner.

In all reality, I did make some homemade root beer with dry ice, which was fun! Here is the recipe:

3 1/2 gallons cool water

6 C. sugar

2 oz. root beer extract

5 lbs. dry ice

Mix water, sugar and extract until sugar is dissolved. Add dry ice WITH GLOVES, loosely cover and allow to 'brew' for 30-45 minutes to create fizz.

Melissa

Chicken Artichoke Bake

1 1/2 C. uncooked squiggly pasta

1 med. onion, minced

2 C. cooked, shredded/chopped chicken

1 can (14 oz.) Italian spiced, diced tomatoes - undrained

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 can black olives, sliced

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta. Drain and set aside. Heat oil/butter in a LARGE frying pan. Sautee onion 1 min. Add chicken, tomatoes, pasta, artichokes, olives & italian seasoning. Mix until combined. Place 1/2 mixture in greased 9x13 pan, sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese. Repeat. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes at 350. Uncover and bake another 5-10 min. to brown cheese.

Enchiladas

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

10-12 small flour tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pkg taco seasoning, or 3 Tbsp.

1 small can tomato sauce

1/2 C. water

1 C. sour cream

shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Trim chicken breasts, cut in half the hot dog way. Lay in foil-lined baking pan, sprinkle with salt. Fold foil over to cover chicken all the way, bake for 30 minutes. Chop or shred cooked chicken, reserve juices. Mix cream of chicken soup, taco seasoning, tomato sauce, water, sour cream, and juice from chicken. Set aside 2/3 of sauce. Add chicken and any other fillings (sliced olives, sliced mushrooms, diced green chilies, etc.) to rest of sauce. Spoon into center of tortillas, wrap and place in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over the top, sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake @ 350 for 20 min. covered, uncover and bake another 10 min. to brown cheese. Serve with rice.

Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy

4-8 boneless pork chops

1/2 C. flour

1 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. butter

1 med. onion, minced

4 oz. sliced mushrooms

4 Tbsp. butter

2 1/2 C. milk

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

In a large resealable bag, combine flour, paprika, salt & pepper. Add pork chops and toss to coat. Set remaining flour mixture aside. Heat a large skillet with 2 Tbsp. butter, and sear or brown the outsides of the chops. Place in a greased 9x13 baking pan. In the same skillet, lightly saute the onion and mushrooms in 4 Tbsp. butter. Add the remaining flour mixture. SLOWLY add the milk, stirring constantly as it bubbles. (A roux - it will get thicker, then gradually thinner to create a gravy.) Let bubble a few minutes, then remove from heat and add lemon juice. Pour over chops. Cover & bake 50-60 minutes @ 350.

Grape Salad

4-6 C. red grapes, halved

16 oz. cottage cheese

1/2 pkg. jello (1.5 oz.), any flavor (strawberry is a favorite)

8 oz. whipped cream or cool whip

Combine grapes, cottage cheese and jello. Fold in whipped cream. (Makes a lot.)

Pizza Roll

1 C. very warm water

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 c. flour

6-8 thinly sliced ham

pepperoni

lots of mozzarella cheese

Opt. - sliced olives/mushrooms

Hunt's pasta sauce for dipping

Sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water, let bloom 3-4 min. Let rise once. Roll out to 9x13 rectangle. Layer ham first, then pepperoni, then all other toppings. Layer generously with mozzarella cheese. NO sauce! It will keep the dough from rising in the oven. Roll up the hot dog way, and pinch the ends closed. Lay seam side down on a greased baking sheet, and bake @ 350 for 30 min., or until lightly browned and it sounds hollow when tapped with a fingernail. Slice & serve with dipping sauce. YUMMY!

Melissa

Don't have the whole week planned out yet, but here's what I'm planning so far.

1. Patrea's flavorful pot roast - this sounds so good!

2. Moroccan Chicken

This is my sister-in-law Bethany's recipe. It's Indian, but not spicy or overwhelming. Just kind of a middle eastern flavor!

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tsp. yellow curry powder

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/3 C. butter

1Tbsp. olive oil

1 sliced onion

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

2-4 C. chicken broth

Cut chicken into large, bite sized cubes. Combine spices and olive oil in gallon ziploc bag, add chicken. Shake well & refrigerate 2+ hours. Melt butter in large pot, sautee onions until golden and soft. Add chicken. Let outsides sear & brown, then add chickpeas & broth. Simmer 1 hour (or transfer to a crockpot and cook all day during church or something.)

Serve with couscous. You can get a ready to make box by the rice a roni, or get your own bulk unflavored couscous and add garlic salt, parmesan, or any other seasonings.

Basic Couscous recipe:
3/4 C. plain couscous

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/3 C. water

1-2 Tbsp. seasoning (you could use garlic, parmesan, no-salt seasoning, lemon pepper, other seasoning blends)

Bring water & salt to a boil. Stir in seasonings and couscous. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork & serve.

2. Chicken Cordon Bleu (serves 4)

I make this all the time - it's really not as hard as it sounds!

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (each breast serves 2)

4 slices deli ham

4 slices swiss cheese

1 C. italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 C. flour

1 egg

salt/pepper

Cut each chicken in half the hotdog bun way. Pound as thin & wide as possible (being careful not to smash chicken into pieces) between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of ham, then a slice of cheese. Fold the sides in, then roll up & pin with toothpicks if needed. Toss flour with salt & pepper in shallow dish, set aside. Beat egg in shallow dish, set aside. Pour bread crumbs into shallow dish. Roll each chicken roll into flour first, then egg, then bread crumbs. Place in greased baking pan, and bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes or until nicely browned, and chicken is completely cooked through.

Sep 5

I'm sorry I didn't post anything for last week! I did try Angela's chimichangas and Melissa's Honey Baked Chicken, both of which were so good! Here's some meals for this week!

1. White Chili

1 med onion chopped
1 T minced garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and cut in small pieces
1 can chicken broth
1 can white beans, drained
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 can white shoe peg corn, drained
2 (4oz) cans diced green chilies
1 tsp lime juice

place all in crock pot and cook on high 4 hrs

2. Louisiana-style Red beans and rice (one of my very favorite!)

1 lb dry red kidney beans
6 cups water
5 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 lb smoked sausage, quartered and cut into thin slices
1 onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp oregano
1/8-1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 cups water
1 T vinegar
2 cups long grain white rice

1. Combine all ingredients except for the last 3 in a crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low all day.
2. When beans are tender, mash about 90% of them against the side of the crock pot. Replace lid and turn off heat
3. Cook rice with last three ingredients
4. Ladle 1 cup of beans into individual bowls and top with 1/2 cup of rice. Serves 8


3. Coconut Rice

This was my first time making this. It wasn't coconutty enough for me so I tossed a few pinches of coconut flakes into my bowl and then it was mmmmm yummy!

2 cups white rice
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
splash of white vinegar
2-3 tsp of sugar
1/4 cup chopped green onions, plus green onion tops
black pepper to taste

1. Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.Cook like normal rice.
Allow to stand 5 min. Add chopped green onion bottoms, black pepper. Garnish with green onion tops and serve.

Tortilla soup in the blender

This takes me like 10 minutes, it is so easy and fast. You could use a food processor too - something that will blend your ingredients really well.

Soup Base:

2 large or 3 small roma tomatoes

2 Tbsp. taco seasoning

4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese

2-3 slices jalapeno pepper (I keep a jar of jalapeno slices in the fridge to add to thing I want to make a little spicy, and they aren't bad on subway sandwiches or hotdogs either. They would be by the pickles or banana peppers in the grocery store.)

1/4 avocado (if you have it)

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 small carrot

1/4 onion

1 chicken boullion cube

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 C. BOILING water

Chop up bigger ingredients, then blend/process for 2-3 minutes until everything is blended super well.

Stir in:

1/2 can pinto beans

1/2 C. frozen corn

some cooked, chopped chicken

Serves 4 - sprinkle coarsely crushed tortilla chips on top

Everything looks so good! Thanks for all the great ideas and recipes. I will contribute more when the craziness of going back to school and work dies down.

Meanwhile, thanks for saving me at dinnertime. I'm going to try several of your yummy recipes.
Kim

End of August meals

I couldn't get to the store until yesterday, so I made a huge batch of pancakes one night. If you make tons, then you just pop the leftovers into the toaster the next day and have pancakes for breakfast too! Then we had macaroni and cheese one night and ramen another night. This is what we are trying to avoid by making this website! If you have a plan it is so easy and simple to make something that is just as fast and easy and even yummier.

So here is the plan for the next week.

1. Friday

I was GOING to make corned beef and cabbage (enough for 2 nights) but my stupid grocery store only carries corned beef in March. For the best corned beef sauce mix equal thirds sour cream, prepared horseradish sauce, and mayonnaise. Just put a pile of that on your plate and dip everything in it!

2. Friday (again)

I will probably go dig up some potatoes from my garden and make cheese fries!

Wash and slice some potatoes. Grease a cookie tray or cake pan. Sprinkle season salt (or regular salt) over the fries. Bake at 350 for 35-55 minutes depending on how deep you piled them and how many you have. I have to make 5 pounds at a time for us. Take them out, sprinkle cheese over them, put them back in and make some fry sauce (mayonnaise and ketchup). Take the fries out and eat them!

PULL OUT SOME CHICKEN FROM THE FREEZER TO DEFROST

3. Saturday

This is the day I will be sorting my crock pot contents. See my last post for any details. I will also start a batch of beans (white this time) in my small crockpot using some of the beef broth. For dinner Saturday I will make chicken alfredo with noodles and cauliflower (or broccoli). I have some cooked chicken (turkey actually) in my freezer left over from roast turkey meals which I do every other month or so. I buy 5-6 turkeys when they go on sale and have a pretty steady supply of fresh turkey and then cooked turkey to put in whatever I want for the next month. So, to make my chicken (turkey) alfredo, you have to cook your chicken, open a jar of alfredo sauce or mix up a couple alfredo packets, boil some noodles, and cook a vegetable. Then toss it all together or separate them on you plate and pour sauce over it all.

PUT THE COOKED BEANS IN THE FRIDGE SATURDAY NIGHT

4. Sunday

We WOULD have the leftover corned beef on this day, but since I didn't make corned beef because my stupid grocery store doesn't carry it unless it is MARCH........I will probably make some half white half wheat tortillas and spread some beans and cheese over them to make quesadillas. Season the beans first of course and warm them up. I would add salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Or I would just fry up some onions and garlic, then add my beans and a some salt. To make quesadillas (however you spell that) you spread some beans on one tortilla, sprinkle some cheese over that, put another tortilla over the top, then put the whole thing in a frying pan until the cheese is melted. Take it out, put another in, and cut the first one into triangles. Dip it in sour cream if you have it. Simple for Sunday. Pop some popcorn later if people get hungry again.

5. Monday

Tamales!

I get out my shredded crockpot meat and add salsa. (I do that a lot). You could use any kind of shredded meat. All I have in my fridge right now is beef, deer, and chicken. This time I'll be using beef. I soak corn husks all day Monday, make some masa dough, and pat it onto the corn husks with plastic baggies over my hands so they won't stick. Then I put a pile of meat in the middle and fold them up. Steam them for an hour. Wait 10 minutes before you eat them so they can "set". Masa flour is usually by the mexican stuff or next to the corn meal at the grocery store and the instructions for masa dough are on the bag. Add some salt though.

6. Tuesday

Chili

I have some ground deer meat in the freezer. Fry some meat, add any beans and broth you have left from the quessadillas, and follow the instructions on the back of a chili envelope. My friend Erin had the brilliant idea to serve in with cheese sprinkled on top, a dollop of sour cream in the center, and fritos arranged around the edges. We will never go back to just plain chili. Another way is to serve it over cornbread. Or with bread and butter. Or as a dip with tortilla chips. Or over hot dogs if you have some left over.

7. Wednesday

Baked potatoes. We have to keep eating the garden potatoes until they are gone. They won't keep in the ground forever. This is one of our all time favorite things to eat. Fresh, little, thin skinned potatoes. Butter melting over the top with lots of salt and pepper, and as much sour cream as I want! No stern father standing over me saying AHEM.....I think you had better put some of that back.....(same with ice cream):P.

8. Thursday we will just eat up anything that is left. If we HAD any corned beef left over we would eat that too. >(. The dessert of choice this week is brownies with little mint chips sprinkled on top.

Melissa

Here are the next 2 meals I will be making. (We're also going to try Patrea's chicken fingers - they sound amazing!)

1. Tilapia filets with flavored rice

This is one of my favorite seafood dishes (since I hate seafood). It's really easy and quick to put together. I take 3 tilapia filets (I can get a good deal on these at Walmart - about $3.25 a pound. But I have been known to buy them at $5.50 a pound before). I put them in an 8x8 baking dish, and sprinkle them with a citrus seasoning blend. Then I put a few pats of butter on top, and cover it with tinfoil. I bake it at 350 for 25-30 minutes, sometimes longer to get crispy edges. At the same time I will make some flavored rice - my favorite is the Rice Sides brand Butter & Herb flavor. Make some asparagus or broccoli to go with it.

2. Mushroom mashed potatoes

This is going to be an experiment. When Levi took me to our anniversary dinner in Thailand, we went to this super expensive restaurant on the roof of a 64 story 5 star hotel. (It was $100 a plate). Anyways, Levi's dish came with some mashed potatoes that tasted AMAZING. We were trying to figure out what could possibly be in them since they didn't have a strong flavor, and we finally agreed that they tasted like they had mushrooms in them. So I am going to try to make some, by sauteeing a package of mushrooms in butter, then puree them and mix them into some mashed potatoes. Any suggestions for a main dish to go with them?

best ever ice cream bars

1 oz chocolate instant pudding mix
1/4 t mint extract
1 3/4 c half and half
10 oreos


blend all together in blender and freeze in popsicle molds. yummy!

Aug 21

Here's this weeks meals!

1.Tuna Sandwiches-
Mix tuna with mayo and spread on bread

2.Pinapple Bacon Burgers-

beef patties
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper
bbq sauce
4 slices pineapple
hamburger buns
cooked bacon


season patties with salt and pepper. grill patties on bbq. while grilling brush once on each side with bbq sauce.
During final minutes of cooking, lay pineapple slices and buns flat side- down until heated through. when done, place burgers on buns and then top each burger with a slice of pinapple and 2 slices of bacon. drizzle bbq sauce over and serve

3.Angela's pork and potato dinner

2 pork chops
1 T flour
1 T vegatable oil
2t and 1 1/2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese -divided
1/8 t pepper
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 t beef bouillon granules
1/2 c boiling water
1 1/2 t lemon juice
coat pork chops with flour, in a skillet over medium- high heat, brown chops in oil on both sides. Combine 1 T parmesan cheese and pepper. Sprinkle over chops. Arange potato and onion slices over chops. sprinkle with 1 T parmesan. dissolve bouillon in boiling water. stir in lemon juice. Pour over chops. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Cover and simmer for 18-22 min or until meat juices run clear.


4.Flavorful pot roast

1 Boneless Beef Chuck roast
1 env Italian Salad dressing mix
1 env Ranch salad dressing mix
1 env brown gravy mix
1 c water

Place chuck roast in slow cooker. in a small bowl, combine salad dressing and gravy mixes; stir in water. pour over meat and cook on low for 7-8 hours. gravy in good over mashed potatoes.

5. Coconut chicken fingers (my VERY favorite food!)

1 c sweetened coconut flakes
1 c panko bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs)
1 1/2 t garlic powder
3/4 t salt
1/4 t onion powder
1/8 cayenne pepper
1/2 c flour
2 eggs
12 chicken tenders

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray
Chop coconut so it's roughly the same size as the bread crumbs.
Combine the coconut, bread crumbs, and spices in a shallow dish.
Place the flour in a shallow dish and the eggs in another shallow dish, Whisk the eggs.
Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip in the egg, roll in the bread crumb/ coconut mixture. place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 min or until juices run clear.

Sauce!!!-
whisk together 1 c apricot-pineapple preserves, 2 t soy sauce, 1/2 t dijon mustard and 1/8 t curry. SO YUMMY!!!

Meals for the middle of August

I am currently in the middle of the meals I planned.

I started last Thursday night (one week ago, not 2 days ago) by getting 2 large beef bones out of the freezer. Any large piece of meat will work, pork, deer, beef etc. I put it in my slow cooker, poured in a slug of lemon juice (to get more minerals out of the bone and into the broth), and filled it to within an inch of the top with water. I left it on low all night Thursday and all day Friday and Friday night. Also on Friday night I put 2 cups of dry beans in a bowl with water to soak. My low setting on my slow cooker is VERY low. I turned it off Saturday morning and by noon it was cool enough to separate the meat from the gristle and bones. Bones and inedibles went to the pigs and chickens (chickens love bones) and the nice meat I picked out was shredded and put in the fridge. I strained the broth through a colander and then a kitchen towel, poured half of it into a pitcher, and put that in the fridge. The other half I put in my small slow cooker, rinsed and drained the beans that had been soaking, and put them in too NO salt yet! Saturday night, when the fat had solidified on top of the broth, I lifted it off and put it back in the fridge to make bread (I use it instead of oil or shortening, if I have it).

Also on Saturday I took some chicken breasts out of the fridge to thaw in the fridge.

1. Thursday night

Put beef in the slow cooker

2. Friday night

Put beans in water to soak

3. Saturday morning

Turn off the slow cooker

4. Saturday noon

Fish out the good meat, toss out the bones and gristle, strain the broth, put the beans in my small slow cooker with half the broth. Refrigerate the rest.

5. Saturday night

Lift fat off the gelatin broth. Turn off the beans and put them in the fridge.

6. Sunday

I only cook one easy meal on Sunday afternoon and people can have bread and butter if they are hungry later.

Beef chimichangas

I mix some salsa, a scoop or two of beans, and some leftover rice if I have it in with half my shredded beef.

I make some corn tortillas and fill them with the beef salsa stuff and fry them in a quarter inch of hot lard until the tortillas are crispy.

If I have sour cream I put that on top.

7. Monday

Mushroom and swiss chicken with a vegetable

I coat have the defrosted chicken with egg and then some kind of crumb; bread crumbs, crushed ritz or saltines, just flour with salt and pepper, cornmeal etc. Then I fry them in the same pan with lard I used yesterday adding more lard if I need it (mine is cast iron and benefits from sitting unwashed in grease all night). In a smaller pan I fry up some sliced mushrooms. I also slice some swiss cheese. When all the chicken is fried I put them on a cookie tray, top with mushrooms and cheese and bake for 5 or so minutes to melt the cheese. Meanwhile I cook a frozen vegetable, add butter and salt and then we eat!

8. Tuesday

Beans and Cornbread

I reheat the beans from the fridge and now I add some salt, garlic powder, onions, and other seasonings that sound yummy. I might add some tomato paste or I might not. I make a batch of cornbread and might cook a frozen vegetable.

9. Wednesday

Baked potatoes from my garden with green peas

Bake potatoes, put yummy stuff on them, cook some peas and put butter and salt on them. Reserve 4 potatoes for tomorrow.

10. Thursday

Chicken Curry

This is my second most requested meal. First is the chimichangas we had on Sunday, and third is island franks, modified, of course.

I bake the rest of the chicken from the fridge in the oven in tinfoil for 40 minutes. In a little butter fry a diced onion and a diced sweet pepper. Add 3 cans of coconut milk. Add some curry powder or curry paste. Add 2 bay leaves, chopped leftover potatoes, chopped cooked chicken, 3 bouillon cubes, and some cashews.

Cook some rice, cook a vegetable, pour curry over the top.

On Thursday I get some pork steaks, deer steaks, or beef steaks out of the freezer.

11. Friday

Split Pea Soup

Make it your favorite way and be sure to add some carrots and ham or sausage. I make it using the rest of the beef broth from the fridge and adding more water if I need it. I am also sure to have fresh bread and soft butter ready at dinner time.

12. Saturday (today)

Chimichangas (again)

Like I said, it is the most often requested. I use the rest of the beef and any beans that weren't finished when we had cornbread. If i have leftover rice from the curry I use that too. Otherwise, just beef and salsa in my tortillas.

13. Sunday

A simple meal.

Minute steaks and salad

Fry the deer steaks. Make a salad.

On the Thursday that I was making the curry, I got out a new chunk of meat and bones from the freezer to make fresh broth and shredded meat. On Friday I soaked more beans, and today I am cooking them in some of the beef broth. I might make fajitas with the shredded beef this time, or I might make barbecue sandwiches. Maybe I will make chili with the rest of the broth and beans this time. Or maybe I will use up the broth in some rice or something.

Secrets about BEANS!

Secret #1 . You can substitute northern white bean flour in place of normal flour when you are baking and it tastes the SAME! (and it's much healthier!) The ratio you want to use for flour is 1/3 bean flour and 2/3 regular flour or else you'll end up with rock hard things.

Secret #2. You can substitute white bean puree in place of butter or oil when you are cooking, too! (tastes the same!!!) I cook the beans in my crock pot (cover with water) and cook on high for 4 hrs. Then I put them in my blender with some water and put the puree in baggies (1/2 cup of beans in each) and freeze them. The ratio for bean puree is 1/2 puree and 1/2 oil or butter.

Melissa

1. Turkey Cranberry Wraps

• Tortillas with either a smear of cream cheese or a slice of provolone, deli sliced turkey, whole berry cranberry sauce, alfalfa sprouts, and garlic mustard.

2. Hawaiin Haystacks

3. Spanish Rice

• Angela's recipe
• Sautee 1 minced onion, and 1 red bell pepper in butter. Stir in 28 oz undrained diced tomatoes (I like to use a couple cans of Hunt's fire roasted tomatoes), 1 cup of uncooked rice (I use 1/2 white 1/2 brown), 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp chili powder, a dash of red pepper, some black pepper, 1 tsp salt, and 1 cup of water. Bring to boiling and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir it up and serve with shredded cheese.

4. Honey Baked Chicken & Corn Bread

• Mom's recipe - The last time I made this it turned out really dry and almost burned, so I'm going to use my tried & true method for cooking tender, juicy chicken.
• Chicken: 1-3 chicken breasts depending on how many people are eating, and how much they like to eat. Mix up a sauce of equal parts honey and soy sauce (I do 1/2 C. of each), a dash of ginger, a handful of minced shallots or green onions. Pour it all into a tinfoil lined baking pan, then fold up the tinfoil around the chicken. Bake @ 350 for 30-35 min.
• Corn Bread: Mix 1 C. flour, 1 C. cornmeal, 1 Tbsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 C. sugar in a medium sized bowl. In another bowl whisk 2 eggs, 1 C. milk, and 1/4 C. oil. Add to dry ingredients, and stir until moist - do not overbeat. Pour into greased 8x8 square pan, bake @ 425 for 20-25 min. (Sometimes it is still gooey in the middle when the toothpick comes out clean, so bake as long as you can making sure the top is a little browned).

5. Ham Chowder

• Also mom's recipe! We love this classic.
• Combine 1 minced onion, 2-3 sliced carrots, 2-3 sliced celery stalks, 3-4 diced potatoes, broccoli or other vegetables you want in a big pot. Pour in enough water to barely cover the vegetables, and cook on med. until tender. Add 2 C. diced ham, and 8 oz. cubed velveeta cheese; stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in 1 C. sour cream. Delicious!