Main Dishes

11/10/12

This one turned out WAY better than expected. Chris said they were "incredible" and the best Sloppy Joes he had ever eaten in his life.

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

2 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 C chopped onion
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 T diced garlic
1/2 C ketchup
1/2 C BBQ Sauce
2 T Cider Vinegar
1 T Worcestershire
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder

Mix liquids and spices together in the slow cooker. Pour beef in and stir. Cook on HIGH for about three hours, stirring occasionally. Serve on hamburger buns and with cheese, if you like.


11/10/12

I made this a couple of weeks ago and my family went nuts. I had several requests for the recipe, so, here it is.

Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steaks

2 lb round steak thinly sliced against the grain
3 green bell peppers, sliced into strips
3 medium yellow onions, sliced into strips
2 beef bouillon cube
1/2 cup water
1 T garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
8-10 crusty Italian or French rolls
Sliced Cheddar cheese

Seriously, throw everything but the rolls and cheese into the crock pot. Stir it up. Cook it on low 6-8 hours. When you are ready, toast the rolls with butter. Top the rolls with the meat mixture. Cover with cheese and broil until the cheese is melted. YUMMY!!!!

06/13/2012

This one is a family favorite and I had a couple of people ask me for the recipe, so, here ya go.

Schnitzel or Wiener Schnitzel

2lbs pork cutlets or veal cutlets (veal makes it Wiener Schnitzel)
2 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika

2 eggs
1 cup milk

2-3 cups bread crumbs

 Pound the cutlets on both sides with a tenderizer to 1/8" to 1/4" thickness. Mix flour and spices together well in one container. In a second container, mix eggs and milk. In a third container, pour bread crumbs. Preheat skillet to 375 degrees with canola oil (You can use vegetable oil, but, I prefer canola). Dredge cutlets in flour, dip in egg wash, then coat well with bread crumbs. Place in preheated skillet. Here is the tricky part. It doesn't take long to get the cutlets done. 3-4 minutes on a side should get them done without burning them. You want the schnitzel golden brown on the outside, but done on the inside. The more thinly you pound the meat, the easier it is to get it done well on the inside. You might have to cook them in batches, which is ok. I usually cover the done ones with foil while the others cook and they stay warm. I garnish with lemon slices and like to squeeze lemon juice on mine. Looking forward to hearing from people who try to make this!




01/23/2012

I wanted a different take on pot pies. So, I had some leftover turkey and decided to see what I could do with it. I LOVE puff pastry and I usually just make a base, bake the pastry and put it on top of the soupy mixture. This time, I actually  made little pockets and the family went crazy. Chris ate four of them and the big boys ate three, each.

Pot Pies

2 cups cooked, diced chicken or turkey
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 can sweet peas
1/2 can corn
1 tsp salt
1tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic
1tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 boxes of puff pastry

Thaw the pastry and cut each sheet into squares. The squares need to be slightly uneven. You need smaller ones for the bottom and larger ones for the top. Possibly 2'x2' and 3"x3" or larger if you need. You just want the top part of the pocket to completely cover the bottom. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the chicken, soup, sour cream, spices, and vegetables in a large bowl. I lined my pan with parchment paper. Place the smaller squares on the pan and fill each with a heaping spoonful of the mix. Cover the tops with the larger pieces of pastry and crimp the edges with a fork. Bake for 25-30 minutes until puffy and golden brown. I served mine with brown sugar glazed carrots.


03/18/2011

I LOVE shrimp scampi, but, I don't always want to pay for it. Tonight, for the price I would have paid for one dinner, I fed six of us shrimp scampi.

2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp granulated garlic (You can use fresh, just increase to at least two tablespoons)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash the shrimp well. Place in a shallow baking pan. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, olive oil, garlic, and Worcestershire. Slowly mix over medium heat until all ingredients are incorporated. Pour this over the shrimp and mix well. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until all shrimp are pink.


01/22/11

Tonight I made fish and I made up a sauce/dressing/marinade to go on it. I made some flounder and my youngest asked for seconds of BAKED fish!

Lemon Vinaigrette Flounder

2 lb flounder filets
1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp dill weed

Set oven to broil. Spray a broiler pan with cooking spray. Lay the filets out on the pan. Juice the lemon into a bowl. Add the salt, pepper, and dill weed. With a wire whisk, add the olive oil to create an emulsion. Brush this on each filet. Place the pan in the oven. Continue to brush on the mixture every couple of minutes until the fish is done.


01/21/11

We are now starting to eat even better because my mother just found out she is diabetic. So, I am trying to add more lean meats and vegetables to our diet.

Fajitas
1 lb lean beef such as round steak, skirt steak or sirloin
3 bell peppers (I use multi-colors)
1 large onion

Seasoning
1 T salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin

Mix the spices together in a bowl. Slice the been into thin strips about 1/4 inch wide. Sprinkle the seasoning all over the meat and let it sit while you prepare the vegetables. Slice the bell peppers and onions about the same size as the meat. Heat a cast iron skillet (I used two) over medium-high heat and add 1 T canola or other low fat oil to the pan. Place the meat and vegetables in the pan (since I used two pans, I divided the meat and veggies evenly). Let the mixture simmer for several minutes with a lid on. Stir and simmer for several more minutes. Juices will come out of the meat and veggies. Once the meat looks nearly done, take the lid off and let the juices boil away. I like to let mine brown and even allow the veggies to caramelize for added flavor. Serve with warm tortillas. This makes between 8-10 servings, depending on who you are feeding!


08/12/2010
This recipe is so easy, it is ridiculous. It is also very tasty.

Chicken Casserole
2 Large Chicken breasts bone in, skin on
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can milk
1 1/2 cups Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix

Boil the chicken breasts until just done. In a casserole dish, mix the cream of chicken soup and the can of milk well. Stir in the chicken. Cover with the stuffing mix, distributing evenly. Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes, or until stuffing mix just starts to darken.



07/28/2010
I have discovered the joy that is chipotle peppers!!! I am integrating them into new recipes, so, you may see them in a few different ones. Tonight for dinner, I made a chili-bake. The family loves it and it is easy to make with some pre-prepared ingredients :)

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1 large can chili beans
1 cup salsa
2 diced chipotle peppers
2 tsp adobo sauce

Brown the beef with the onions and peppers. In a casserole dish, combine the beans, salsa, peppers and adobo sauce. Add the beef mixture when cooked

Topping:
2 C self-rising cornmeal mix
1/2 C sour cream
1/4 C milk
1 egg
3-4 sliced scallions
2 C shredded cheddar

Mix cornmeal, sour cream, milk, and egg. Fold in scallions and  ONE cup of cheddar. Layer this mixture evenly on top of the chili mixture. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cheddar and bake another 5 minutes.

This recipe is versatile in that YOU can decide how mild to how spicy you want it. I tend to use mild salsa because I don't want to burn anyone's face off. Chris wouldn't mind it if I used twice the chipotle and hot salsa, but, I do have to sleep with him at night and I don't want to deal with THAT! You could even use an 8 oz can of diced tomatoes in place of the salsa if you wanted to go even milder. TOTALLY up to you! That is the beauty of this dish!


07/27/2010
BBQ!! If there is anything my family loves, it is barbecue! I came up with this recipe one day when I was bored with the bottled stuff. I had used the chipotle peppers in a chili bake recipe and since I had some left over, I decided to experiment. I have used this on chicken and pork and both came out very tasty. It can get spicy, so don't go crazy with the chipotles!

Chipotle BBQ Sauce

1 C Ketchup
2 T Red Wine Vinegar
1 T Honey
2 T Brown Sugar
1 T Mustard
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2 small Chipotle Peppers, diced
2 tsp Adobo Sauce (that stuff the peppers are in)

Mix all in a small saucepan and simmer for 5-10 minutes. You can adjust the peppers and adobo to your own taste, but, I have found that this combination makes for a good tasting sauce. It is just spicy enough to hit the back of your throat, but, it won't bring you to tears (unless you are a total wimp like my friend who shall remain nameless...but her name has something to do with an alcoholic beverage). So anyway, try this out some time and let me know how it works for you!