A Little Help from Butcher's Twine

Dinner on Friday was completely mistimed on my end because I didn't read an important line in the ingredient list. I missed the part where the Simple Tomato Sauce on was suppose to be used WITH the meat in the oven. Whoops!

We enjoyed Braciole with some Rotini pasta and some Pillsbury French Loaf. The Simple Tomato Sauce is really nice and makes extra so, I was able to put it in the freezer. I had quite fun tying up the meat since I don't use recipes that often that require butchers twine. It's not pretty, but it worked!

This was only the second time we have enjoyed this dish, as the first time was January 11, 2004. It has sat in my "Recipes 3" collection since then. I decided when making this month's menu that we would visit it again. I fixed my mistake and we ate later than normal, but it was still delish.

Finally grilling out in almost 70 degree weather....

So far it's finally out of freezing temperatures here in Kansas. We are enjoying a 5 day stretch of low 60's and 70's. I'm so excited, because that means spring is on the way and Clay gets to break in our new Weber grill. Oh, how I love the smell of sunshine, charcoal and cut grass. And guess what? I am so blessed that we live in one of the older housing developments here at the Big Red One and because of that I have the privilege of using a vintage clothesline. I even got to hang out Ayden's blankies on the clothesline yesterday afternoon.
We've got a lot of fun grilling recipes to do this weekend. Tonight we are enjoying a Cooking Light recipe "Cilantro Lime Chicken & Avocado Salsa" served along side a nice heap of saffron rice and black beans. It has a super simple 3 minute marinade which consists of cilantro, lime juice & olive oil on the chicken and the salsa comes together in mere minutes. The saffron rice is the only thing that needs to be started ahead of the grill.
Tomorrow night we're hosting a grill & game night with some of the guys in Clay's company and their families. So far on the menu: Our Best Bites Baby Back Ribs, some BBQ chicken, baked beans (Bush's) and Chris' Lemon Cake otherwise known as Le Quatre Quarts with Creme du Citron. Chris is also talking me into making lemonade and I'm not talking about thawing a can from the freezer section or mixing up some Country Time powder. Last summer, Chris & I discovered a fresh squeezed lemonade that would rival any Chick-fil-a's $8.00 per gallon lemonade. Once again this recipe is from the wonderful ladies at Our Best Bites.com (Thanks Kate & Sara.).
Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade

Recipe by Our Best Bites

2 c. sugar

1 c. fresh lemon juice (about 5-6 large lemons)

1/4 c. fresh lime juice

1/2 c. loosely packed fresh mint leaves (optional)

8 1/2-10 1/2 c. water, divided

Ice cubes

Combine 2 1/2 c. water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved and then simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool about 20 minutes. Add lemon and lime juices to the sugar syrup. If desired, place mint leaves in a lidded pitcher or large, lidded storage bowl. Pour lemon-lime mixture into container. If not using mint, refrigerate. If using mint, allow to stand 1 hour and then strain mixture and store until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, mix lemonade base with 6-8 c. cold water. Start with 6 c. and then adjust according to your taste. 6 c. will be very sweet, 8 c. will border on watery. But I promise, however you like it, it will be delicious!

Happiness on Michael's Plate!

Tonight the menu actually showed Taco Salad but I read it wrong on Tuesday night so I made the Taco Salad last night and the Pineapple Chicken Kabobs/Pineapple Pork Kabobs tonight. The first time Imade these, I followed the orignial recipe from Mrs.Dash but found we liked the simpler version better. The "eyeballs" are actually the Easy Rolls I made Monday night but done in a mini-muffin pan. They were much better with the meal tonight than they were with the Beef Burgundy. Michael asked for his plate to be shown in the blog tonight.

For dessert I decided to get into my Betty Crockers Ultimate Cake Cookbook and see what I had on hand to make. The recipe I choose was the Gold Butterscotch Cake on page 37. I haven't cut into it yet, but the icing was more a cakey type custard instead of icing. It is possible at this point I won't make it again...

It's a Great Day at the Cape Hatteras KOA...

Ah, thinking of my summer in Rodanthe, NC back in 2001 has inspired dinner and brought back some wonderful memories. Here's a photo of me & my fellow Summershiners. Everyone is serious in the picture except for the Randy, our Activities Director & preacher, go figure. It's 34 degrees with an overcast here in Kansas today. So, to cope with a little spring fever, I'm making Baja Fish Tacos for dinner. This simple recipe is great for summer nights and ready in less than 30 minutes. Don't turn your nose up at fish & tacos in the same sentence, they are really good. When I lived at the beach years ago, a few of my older co-workers raved about Tuesday fish taco nights at their camper. I never joined them and I regret that, because as good as mine are, I would think that Skev & Bev's fish tacos were the bomb!

Yes, it's okay to play with your food. That's half the fun.

A Comforting Dinner

Our dinner tonight was one that we visit at least every month during the Fall and Winter. It is a great comfort food and is enjoyed by everyone at the table. The table was set tonight with Beef Burgundy, Mashed Potatoes, Dijon Apples and Easy Rolls.

The Easy Rolls are a Paula Deen recipe that I printed off in February 2004 and have never made. It was one that I pulled out of my "To Try" binder when I made my menu out for this month. They were definately easy and were pretty good. You couldn't taste the mayo in it but you could taste a hint of sugar. They will be made again, but maybe to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee.

The Beef Burgundy is from Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meal that we have been enjoying since December 2003. I have changed it since that time & do not use pearl onions (I just thin slice whatever kind of onions I have on hand), most of the time there isn't mushrooms in it, I use about 7 strips of bacon, I use dried herbs and just mix them in and I stopped measuring the wine a LONG time ago. It is so good, I suggest you attempt it yourself and make it as she has it written and just change it to suit you and your family. I hope maybe one day to gather the courage to make the original Boeuf Bourguignon by the bestest Mrs. Julia Child.


Lastly, the Dijon Apples is just part of Baby Spinach Salad with Thyme and Dijon Vinaigrette with Crisp Swiss Cheese Crisps
recipe by Rachel Ray. I made this the same time we tried the Beef Burgundy back in December 2003, from the same episode. We learned that we didn't care for the spinach and cheese crisp but we REALLY loved the apples with the Dijon Vinaigrette, so we have lovingly changed it to Dijon Apples.

Roast Chicken with Pears

I recently discovered a two recipes on the internet called Roast Chicken and Pears. One had turnips and parsnips in the recipe and a nice honey glaze, the other had dried cranberries, turnips, parsnips and no glaze on top. So, what did I do? I combined the recipes and came up with a awesome meal. The first time I made it with the vegetable called for and decided that I didn't care for parsnips (a relative of the carrot) or turnips (think giant radish). The second go round was last night. I swapped the parsnips & turnip for a bag of Alexia Red Potatoes & Baby Bella mushrooms. I also think a few fingerling potatoes sliced in half along with a few carrots in-lieu of the parsnips and turnip would be good also. Oh and to top it off, I got a new Kuhn Rikon kitchen knife the other day. This is an awesome knife and my favorite color.It did an amazing job slicing my onion, pears and the excess fat off the chicken. The first time I made this I was a bit intimidated by the use of fresh pears in this dish. I like pears, you know the kind that come out of a can & topped with a dollop of mayo & sprinkled with cheddar cheese, but fresh ones were a bit out of my scope. However, there was this handy tip on the bottom of the original recipe for how to core the pear before slicing.

*Tip- Because pears are harvested well into fall, fresh ones should still be available in your local market. The popular Bosc pear will work well in this dish, but almost any pear you find in your market is fine. To tell if the pear is ripe, press the fruit gently with your thumb just below the stem; the flesh should yield slightly to pressure. To core the pears, cut them in half vertically, from stem to base. Use a spoon or a melon baller to scoop out the core with the seeds. Then, using a paring knife, make a v-shape notch to cut out the line of tough core fibers that runs from the stem to the base of the pear.

Roast Chicken with Pears

½ cup dried cranberries

1 red onion, peeled & cut into chunks

3 parsnips or carrots, peeled & cut into chunks

1 turnip or a few red potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks

4 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar or Balsamic vinegar

5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Honey

2 tsp. thyme

2 Tbsp. parsley

Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

2 lbs of fresh chicken pieces, I like to use thighs in this dish

3 Large Cooking Pears, peeled, cored and cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a small bowl, soak the dried cranberries in 1 cup of hot tap water for about 10 minutes; then drain the cranberries. In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine the drained cranberries, parsnips, turnip and red onion with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 3 tablespoons of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of the dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Shake bag to completely coat the vegetables and cranberries with the liquid ingredients and seasonings. Spread the mixture in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan and roast in the oven for 5 to 6 minutes until the fruit and vegetables are slightly softened.

Meanwhile, place the chicken pieces in the Ziploc bag and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Close the bag securely and mix ingredients by turning and shaking the bag to make sure the oil, vinegar and herbs are evenly distributed and coat the chicken pieces.

Place the chicken down the center of the dish or baking sheet and place the vegetables around it. Roast for 30 minutes. Meanwhile place the honey in a small bowl and whisk the remaining tablespoon of olive oil into it. After 30 minutes remove the dish from the oven and brush the honey mixture over the chicken. Place the pears around the chicken and return to the oven for an additional 35 minutes of roasting or until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 175ºF.

I hope that you try this simple yet, delicious dish. I enjoyed trying parsnips and turnips, but the good thing about many recipes is that they aren't set in stone and variations can be made and adjusted to your liking.

Mixing things up....

Okay, so you might have noticed that the blog isn't MtAoFaSC with my Sisters any more. No longer are we focusing on Julia and Paula or Mastering the Art of French and Southern Cooking. We're including all of the wonderful recipes we've ran across and made, but haven't blogged about. We're having Adventures in our Kitchens and we want you to join us for the fun. We enjoy cooking and this blog is a way for us to share all of our adventures in our kitchens as we prepare food for our families and friends. Here you'll find a random collection of recipes from the cookbooks straight off our kitchen shelves, internet recipes, other blogs, magazines and our friends.

It's been awhile since I've blogged. My family has recently moved to Kansas and we are adjusting to life in the Midwest. Last week, I finally dug all my cookbooks out of a moving box and found a home for them on a bookshelf in my dining room. I also got to sit down and peruse the cookbook given to me by my Mom & Dad for my birthday back in November.Heart of the Artichoke and other kitchen journeys by David Tanis, is a wonderful fresh take on meals and how simple they can be. There's maybe one recipe with artichokes in it, but the book's concept is to avoid processed foods and cook with fresh ingredients. Getting back to the heart of cooking and the ingredients; this is something that I am slowly doing in my own kitchen. I'm relying on less packaged foods and striving to buy more fresh foods. To help with my new mission, I ordered a few new cookbooks last week too. I got a copy of Our Best Bites cookbook, a blog that I follow and King Arthur Four Baker's Companion Cookbook. I need all the help I can get in the kitchen while baking and I know that this book will pay for itself with the knowledge that I gain from it. I made their Beautiful Burger Buns recipe that I had found online back in October and they were awesome. Here's the link to the post about them. So back to my kitchen adventure from last week. After reading the first story in Tanis' book, I set out to make Jalapeno Pancakes.
They were a cinch to whip up and even more delicious than I dreamed of. I topped with some warm syrup and a poached egg. (Yes, I can poach an egg now.) Now some maple syrup would have put these pancakes over the top, but sadly the Commissary on post was out and I had to settle for some Aunt Jemima's on them. Nonetheless, I enjoyed a simple and sinus clearing breakfast.

Cost of Convience

The basic point of this post is in regards to the cost of products. Tonight for dinner, we had Chicken Penne Pasta with Garlic Bread. While at the store and picking up the ingredients for the pasta dish, I notice some garlic bread near the end cap of the isle. There were six slices of bread spread with the whipped garlic spread for $2.99. Okay, not a big deal, right? Well, it was to me. So, I went to get a loaf of Italian bread from the deli. It was $1.79. A stick of butter is 75¢ and I have the garlic, parsely & minced onion in the cabinet. The loaf of bread made 14 slices. So I got the same thing that was being sold for $2.99 for $2.54 with 8more slices! Here is the recipe for the Whipped Garlic Spread and the orignial posting for when I decided to make it the first time.

Joey's Choice

This morning I asked Joey what he wanted for supper. He thought about it and decided steaks, Bacon Potatoes and Burnt Broccoli. Well, the Broccoli was nixed due to I forgot to purchase some EVOO, so I made Yorkshire Pudding Muffins instead.
I used Adolf's Meat Marinade in Minutes mixed with some Melot for the steaks and kebobs.
Here is the link for Joey's Bacon Potatoes. Since I don't measure when I make this, I can not give correct amounts. The Yorkshire Pudding Muffins are from a recipe that my Mom made when we were younger and we enjoyed throughly. The only differce I do, is make them in a muffin pan. This was done because my kids fight over the corner pieces when done in the Pyrex dish just as I did with my siblings. Why? Because it is baked in all Butter!!

Pepper Steak

I this is one of the best Pepper Steak recipes I have found. I don't use as many green peppers and no waterchestnuts but it is REALLY good over some white rice.

Our Super Bowl Food

Jamey and the kids picked the foods we had to eat during the SuperBowl. Since I was the one cooking it, I invited JC & PD to the party. Well, their recipes anyways! Here's what we had: Starting at the bottom left: Turtle Cake from The Lady & Sons, Just Desserts (page 54), Bacon Swiss Bread - top center, Quiche Aux Oignon (Onion Quiche) center, Ham Delights - bottom center, Rotel & Velveeta Dip - top right & lastly TGFI Buffalo Wings -bottom right.

The cake has a super gooey center and taste oh, so very good. I have been making the Bacon Swiss Bread for close to 10 years. The original recipe is from a Taste of Home magazine.

The Onion Quiche was really good hot okay warm and edible cold. I will take mine hot from now on. I can't wait to make more of the quiches in Vol. 1! I do admit that the crust was frozen as I am not quite ready to try making one of JC's patries yet.

Yes, I know I cheated on the wings, but since I don't eat them, Jamey had a choice to make them from scratch or buy the frozen ones. :-)

But you know what??? It's all butter baby!!!

3 New Recipes

Farce de Porc (Pork and Herb Stuffing, Vol. 1, Page 336)
This stuffing was originally intended to be placed in lamb and rolled up and placed inside of a lamb roast. Well, I can’t afford lamb so I served this on the side along with some egg noodles to accompany lamb chops. I can say, this is stuff is good!
It called for a cup of fresh white bread crumbs (French or homemade-type bread), I only make homemade-type bread when I make Sausage Bread. Luckily, I had some bread crumbs in the freezer that started their life as biscuits made from Jiffy Mix. This type of bread worked out very well for this recipe. I am so very glad I chose not to use can bread crumbs as I see that it is important to use ”fresh-real” bread crumbs.

Before I go any further, I need to say something about portion sizes. I have started serving dinner on smaller plates. Why you ask? Well, because the portions of food that we are served at restaurants are just way too large. That is why you can’t eat the appetizer, entrée and then the dessert. So, I am trying to reduce the portions we have and we can enjoy more food. Which now means… I am going to talk about desserts!!!!

I checked out The Lady & Sons, Just Desserts from the library last week when I got Vol.1 & Vol.2. Joey was the first to choose a dessert from this cookbook. He chose Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake, page 27. I made this Saturday evening. I didn’t care too much for it, but the kids liked it. They described the taste as “like a chocolate pop tart”.

Tonight, I was looking for a new dessert and all the ones that we kept picking out of Just Desserts, I didn’t have all the ingredients for. So, feeling defeated I pulled The Cake Mix Doctor off the shelf and hoped I had the ingredients of a recipe that I have been longing to try but kept being shy of one ingredient: Peanut Butter. But tonight, I had EVERYTHING! So, I made Chocolate Sheet Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting, pages 52 & 427. This was incredible and lived up to what I hoped. The only change I will make to this will be that I will make it as a layer cake so I can have the peanut butter frosting on the top and in the middle!

Bifleck Haché à la Lyonnaise, Tomates à la Provençale & Risotto

So we took a trip to France for dinner this evening. The journey was courtesy of Julia Child and Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1.
Bifleck Haché à la Lyonnaise or Ground Beef with Onions & Herbs was really nice. It is a pretty good take on what we consider Hamburger Steaks, but has a reduction sauce for the top of it that is pretty darned good. Must have something to do with all the butter in it! Page 301 is the location of this new family favorite.
So for one of the side dishes, I choose to make Tomates à la Provençale or Tomatoes Stuffed with Bread Crumbs, Herbs & Onions. Emma and Michael were the only two who enjoyed this. It had a weird zingy taste according to Joey’s description. Michael says it was more of a tart tingle not the sweet tingle you think it is going to be. Page 507 can show you how to make this if you choose.
For the other side I attempted to make Risotto. I couldn’t find the raw rice the recipe calls for, but I found this Italian Rice that is apparently the same thing at Harris Teeter. The Risotto was delish! I used beef broth as the liquid since I was making beef for the main dish. We will add the recipe from page 533 to our menu rotation.
For these recipes I used a stick & a half of butter! The flavor that butter gives is worth the $2.99/lb plus it isn’t made out of plastic like margarine is! Why you ask??? Cause it’s all butter baby!!!!

Le Quatre Quarts with Creme du Citron

A delicious Pound Cake with a lemon- or orange-cream filling from JC’S MtAoFC Vol. 2 (pages 482-485).

This pound cake or as my oldest son calls it: LEMON CAKE, is a great light tasting cake with a simple sweet glaze.

It’s like sunshine in your mouth. I often imagine those little gnomes in “The Sunshine Makers” making this pound cake and singing their song while putting a bottle of sunshine it the batter. It’s a happy thought of mine while baking. :D

(Yes, The Borden Company originally commissioned The Sunshine Makers as a 1935 theatrical "advertising" film, with subtle suggestions that drinking Borden's Milk would make ANYONE feel "sunshine" within themselves....)

Let me say this is my favorite “go to” cake, majority of the time I have the items on hand to make this and it is quite effortless with my Kitchen Aid Stand mixer. Now, if I had to beat my butter into a mayonnaise-like cream by hand, I wouldn’t be making that often, but the way the butter beaten is the key to this simple recipe. Of all the times I have made it, I fail to take a picture of it before it’s all gone. So once again I have “borrowed” a picture off the internet of a similar looking pound cake.

Ingredient wise all you need is:

1 ½ sticks butter, 3 large eggs (2/3 cup), 1 cup sugar, grated rind of 1 lemon or orange and 1 ¼ cup cake flour for the batter.

The filling requires:

1 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp lemon or orange juice, the grate of one lemon or orange, 1 Tbsp hot water, 1 egg, 2 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, an additional 3-6 tbsp of unsalted butter, and a pinch of salt

Very simple ingredients produce this moist and lush Le Quatre Quarts, meaning “Four Quarters” from the original proportions.

I will be making this very cake in celebration of my husband, children and I being together again as a family and our cross country move from NC to Kansas.

Crepes

Crepes…so after reading a post on Our Best Bites, I decided to hunt down a JC Crepe recipe. In her book, Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom there is a recipe for her Master Crepe Batter. This can be used for savory or sweet creeps. In Vol. 1 & 2 she has a crepe recipe as well, but since I do not have those, I had to search the internet where someone had re-typed it.

I macerated some frozen strawberries in plain white sugar while I looked for the recipe and then I began. I can definitely understand where they say the practice comes in with making these.

The first ones that we tried were with just the strawberries. They were good but we decided they needed chocolate and whip cream. Emma then wanted one with Swiss cheese, which she said was really yummy. So, then I made me one with Cheddar. It was pretty good. It would have been AWESOME with ham and pineapple. Emma then asked for another one, so I suggested Swiss & Leeks. This is it below. She said it was awesome. I lost count on how many crepes Emma ate. Joey had 2 with some Italian blend shredded cheese and then one huge one with powdered sugar and syrup. He liked the last one best.

Will I make these again????? I really don’t know. Maybe if I had some ham & pineapple or chocolate & whip cream but I don’t really plan on going out & getting the stuff to make them on purpose like that unless requested by one of the kids.

On a side note, Emma is going to be our family’s food photographer for my post. The one of the Swiss & Leeks Crepe is her first. Thanks for your job well done, Em!

Cheesecake, Potatoes & Leeks, Oh My!

On New Year’s Eve I finally bought a spring-form pan. I found a very nice one @ Marshall’s for $6. Another $3 and I could have had one that said Cuisnart on it. Considering both pans were identical besides the name, I bought the $6 one. Jamey loves cheesecake and in our 15 ¾ years of marriage I have never made anything more than the one that comes in the box. I have purchased him several of the ones that are the “fancier” cheesecakes while choking on the price tag. So, with new pan in hand, I had Nikki Google me a recipe and found one at Food Network. This is the cheesecake that I made. I didn’t like the way the “topper” was added at the end and ended up raking the top part off the next morning. The citrus flavor mixed in with the 2 pounds of cream cheese is nice and I will only reduce the amount of orange zest the next time I make it. It is taking us 5 days to eat this and there are 3 teens in my house and I have given several slices away, but I think I have found a new “special” desert to make. My only disappointment in this process was that I was hoping to make a cheesecake from Julia Child but there isn’t one in her books.
Sunday evening we wanted soup for dinner and I decided to make Julia’s Potato & Leek Soup. It’s the first recipe out of Vol.1 but here is it online. I made the boys Chicken Noodle Soup (from a can) because they weren’t as jazzed about trying the Potato & Leek Soup as Emma was. I used butter instead of the cream because I ALWAYS have butter on hand, and it made it easier since I didn’t have to find another recipe to use the cream in. I also didn’t care for the fresh parsley in it, so next time I make it, I won’t use the parsley at the end. It was a very filling soup. I served it with some French bread I sliced up from the deli. Joey, Emma & Michael liked it as well as I did, but Jamey didn’t care for it.

But you know what? It’s all butter!!!!!

Check Out My Buns! Hot? Aren't they! ;)

So, after just random searching on the Internet I came across a modified recipe for Homemade Hamburger Buns. Intrigued by the reviews, I did some research before making them myself. I found a link to the original recipe site and WHAM! I found something to stick on my Birthday/Christmas Wishlist. Behold! The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook. Let me say that if these hamburger buns are in the cookbook and it's definitely worth $29.99 on their website. Hail to King Arthur Flour and their amazing buns. They were really good. They taste like deli style buns. Slightly sweeter and a bit yeasty, but over all good in taste. If I hadn't overcooked my burger, it would have been an awesome lunch. The buns don't taste like commercially prepared ones, i.e.: WhiteWheat, etc. The recipe makes 8 buns and takes about 2 1/2 hrs to make including rising time. Super easy directions. Here's the link to King Arthur's Buns!

So I'm Eating My Veggies Mixed with Meat Now!

(I stole this picture off the Internet. It's the closest looking thing to what mine looked like, but mine was far prettier than this. Amazingly this person and I have the same kind of counter tops in our kitchens. How's that for random Internet picture searching!)

Okay, I've been tiptoeing on the wild side lately. I've always had this thing for not wanting my meat and veggies to be mixed together. I would make Vegetable Beef Soup for my husband (who said it was awesome) when we first were married and not eat it myself and still don't eat it. But here lately, my taste for food has been a little more open minded. Maybe I'm looking for a one-pot meal? Probably, but I do know that I'm trying to cut out about 90% of processed foods in my diet. So far so good. The only canned goods I now have on hand are diced tomatoes, chicken or beef broth, pastas, pineapple, pumpkin, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, Cream of chicken soup (I haven't found a homemade substitution for this...yet), refried beans and olives. And you all are probably thinking-"What in the heck is she going to make with that on hand?" Well the answer is lots of good foods, but I'm still trying to incorporate things that I've learned reading "French Women Don't Get Fat". I'm shopping at least twice a week for fresh ingredients for my meals and cutting back on the over-processed garbage we toss in our mouths.

Anyway, I made a Lamb Pot Pie about two months ago and it was delicious. I made a Shepherd's Pie with lamb at the end of September and then on Thursday I finally made a traditional homemade Beef Pot Pie. Only I used refrigerated pie shells, just because making one from scratch still kind of intimidates me. (Go figure.) It was easy and effortless as the first two "pies" I made. So here is the master recipe for Lamb Pot Pie, which you can interchange ingredients with what you have on hand, like I did and the two variations. Simple as that! Oh and you may notice that I didn't give any measurements for the amount of veggies, meat etc. I really don't remember how much I used. Maybe a 1.5 lbs of meat (trimmed of fat) and 1/2 cup of veggies in addition to the 2 russet potatoes in the "pot pies". Guestimate on whatever you feel like is enough or to your taste.

Lamb Pot Pie (Master Recipe)

I first cut up 2 russet potatoes into bite-size pieces and parboiled them. I browned bite-sized pieces of lamb in some EVOO and butter. Tossed some S&P and some meat tenderizer on it while cooking. After it was done, I removed it from the cast-iron pan, then sauteed some garlic in the remaining butter and EVOO. Added the following frozen vegetables to the garlic: pearl onions, sliced crinkle cut carrots, corn, sweet green peas. I let them steam a few minutes, then tossed them in a bowl with the potatoes (drained) and then added my homemade cream of mushroom soup to the lamb I had returned to the cast-iron pan. I heated that through, then tossed the lamb and soup mixture with the veggies. Next I poured it into a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray and topped with crescent rolls in a lattice design. Then I baked at 350* for about 25-30 minutes until the crescent rolls had browned.

Shepherd's Pie with Lamb

This was exactly like the Lamb Pot Pie, but I didn't have any potatoes on hand. So I improvised using two packages of instant potatoes (cooked as directed) to top the lamb/veggie/mushroom soup filling. I baked at 350* again for about 30 minutes until the potatoes were starting to turn golden brown on top.

Beef Pot Pie

Same thing again as the Lamb Pot Pie, but I had forgot to thaw out a container of homemade Cream of Mushroom soup. I had a can of Golden Mushroom in the pantry (and using up my stock of processed food items) and added it instead and along with some Mushroom Duxelles I had froze for a Beef Wellington I had planned to make the other month. I put all of this in a refrigerated double pie crust. Then baked at 350* for about 35 minutes, until it was golden brown on top. Amazing and I had leftovers that I froze into individual servings for later this month.

So, I have to give myself a pat on the back for 3 amazing veggie/meat dishes. Super Simple One Pot Meals. I hope you enjoy trying one for yourself!

Salisbury Steak

I was watching Sandra's Money Saving Meals this morning on Food Network. She made Salisbury Steak along with some other stuff. I sat wondering to myself why I had never attempted to make this. Well, I made it for dinner tonight and served it with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and peas. It turned out really well. I didn't do the mushrooms (surprise, surprise) but I used a 1.5lbs of ground pork & .5lbs of 80/20 ground beef. Otherwise, I followed it completely. Here's the link... http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/salisbury-steak-with-brown-gravy-recipe/index.html Gosh, this is all butter!

Goodbye Campbell's Soup.....I've Replaced You!

Last Saturday, my friend Kelly and I hit the local farmers market. While there we both purchased some organic Shiitake mushrooms from a local farm. We tossed around ideas of what to do with our mushrooms, but never settled on anything specific to make with them. I brought them home and stuck them in the fridge. They sat in their brown paper bag until today. I opened them open and cleaned a few and diced them up. Then sautéed them with a handful of chopped green onions with butter and EVOO and served them up in an omelet for breakfast. Delicious!
So what to do with the remaining Shrooms? I had stumbled across a recipe online for Cream of Mushroom soup, but with this 100 degree heat it wasn't justifiable for a hot soup; until the rain came pouring down the other night. It finally cooled off and I hit up the “fancy” grocery store (as my oldest calls it), this morning to pick up a few odds & ins and vegetables for the rest of the week. I picked up a 4 oz package of mixed mushrooms while there to add to the Shiitake I had at home. Let’s just say that Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom is a far cry from the homemade version. Rich and velvety, pure heaven in a bowl! Here’s my revised version of the recipe I found online. This will be a weekly soup come fall! Enjoy!

Cream of Mushroom Soup (6 servings)
5 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (Shiitake, Baby Bella & Oyster Mix)
1 can vegetable broth (14 oz)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pint half-and-half
1 cup white wine

Directions
In a large heavy saucepan, cook mushrooms in 3 Tbsp. butter with onion and thyme until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add broth and cook on medium-high heat for 15 minutes. With emersion blender puree the mixture, leaving some chunks of vegetable in it. Set aside. In the saucepan, melt remaining butter, whisk in the flour until smooth and add ½ cup of wine to the roux. Once thickened add remaining wine. Add the salt, pepper, half and half and vegetable puree. Stirring constantly, bring soup to a boil and cook until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste. *Freeze in six 8oz jars. Do not defrost frozen soup in refrigerator. Thaw in microwave or run under warm water.

French Women Don't Get Fat?!?!?!?!?

Yes, this is a food blog, but this is a JC related post. I read this article the other day and found it very amusing.

Hate the Gym? How Very French.

It totally makes sense, because how could Julia Child eat all that butter and not be 400 lbs? I realize that Child was born and bred as an American and then moved to France, but she adapted to the ways of the French when she enjoyed her food. Remember in the movie, "Julia & Julie" when Child is in France with her husband at the restaurant? She smelt her fish and savored each bite of it! Her husband asks her what she would really like to do and she replies "EAT!"

I was intrigued by the author of this web article and thought to myself, that there aren't many "FAT" French women....so I picked up the book at the library and have started to read it. I have learned a lot in the 4 chapters that I have read. First off let me start off by saying-"This is not a diet book!" It is a way of re-inventing how you look, smell, eat and enjoy your food. Yes, I said enjoy your food. Be obsessed with your food. Plan out what you want to eat for dinner as opposed to eating something for dinner. The steps involved that I have learned so far are simple and direct.

1)You begin by eating and writing down EVERYTHING that you eat for 3 weeks.
2) Recast yourself by evaluating your food journal.
3) Spend the next 3 months reducing the "offenders" in your current diet intake.
Key points-Slow & Steady, Variety, Ritual Preparation, Water, Ritual Eating, Portion Control, Don't Stock the Offenders, Substitutions & Pacifiers, Facing Demons, Move, Never Be Hungry, In case, Weekend Rewards and Zipper Syndrome.
Do these key points mean anything to you now? No, not really, but they will, if you take the time and read the book. I'm all for enjoying my food and hate depriving myself of certain foods while dieting. I say no more to counting calories, points, going through phases or what have you. I say enjoy what food you put in your mouth and savor each bite and enjoy this food for thought! Or in the words of Mireille Guiliano "Hate the Gym? How Very French."

Cheesy Garlic Bread

I was wanting some of the whipped garlic spread like they sell in the deli section of Food Lion, but I didn't want to pay $1.99 for something I might not like. So, I read the ingredients & see what I can come up with.
So, I make some based off of the ingredients & low and behold, it was AWESOME. The kids had the regular but I made some with mozzarella cheese. It was great as well. So, here's the recipe for the Whipped Garlic Spread! Cause it's all better with butter!

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

There is no pic because I forgot to take one before we ate them! Sorry! But they looked sooooooooooooooooo very good!
Today (May 2nd) I decided to butter up our lunch. Since we got rid of "margaret" (see Cryptic Text ). On this particular blog, it also has the link to show why we don't get margarine in our house an longer.
Anywho, I'd thought I'd share my Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe with you. (If you take it from this blog, please show the credit to MtAoFaSC. Thanks.)
Because without "margaret" it's all butter!

I'm going to attempt.....

BEEF WELLINGTON!

Wheat-free, Dairy-free Beef Wellington, that is.

Our family has recently undergone a dietary change to be Wheat-Free and Dairy-Free (for one month, until Ayden's next doctor's visit) to help alleviate some of his developmental delays. It's all for one and one for all around here at our house. We're doing this together to make it easier on Ayden. I've read a lot on the topic and even his doctor says that changing his diet should make a difference. So, far he's getting frustrated with normal things and not his laid back self. He's also pointing and trying to use words to express himself for the first time. It's progress and I remain hopeful that it's as simple as changing what we eat.

For starters, I cleaned out the pantry, the cabinets, freezers (big and little) and the fridge of all things containing wheat or dairy. That left me eating guacamole and Frito's for dinner that night. And here we are approaching the end of week two...it's been interesting. We haven't starved, but I've gotten really creative in the kitchen. Another plus to this new dietary change, I haven't had any yucky, bloating feeling and lots of energy. (Maybe all that bread expands in your belly, making you feel gross?) Also, that cuts out 98% of eating out (YAY!) there are very few places that Ayden can eat at outside of home and daycare. By the way, his daycare has amazed me with the questions and dedication they have to help me out to figure out if these foods are making Ayden delayed. KUDOS to you Miss Heidi and Miss Ann!

So, I'm adapting a individual Beef Wellington recipe I found online along with MtAoFC Vol. 2 version. (I failed to mention that I purchased a copy of Vol. 2 the day before The "Wheat-Free/Dairy-Free" diet.) Talk about a bummer, Vol. 2 has a wonderful bread section.

So, we have NO BUTTER in our house, just Vegan sticks of a butter substitute...Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks. There's NO CHEESE, just Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternatives. And lastly, NO MILK, yep we've done soy milk before, but we've discovered ALMOND MILK! Oh and then the NO WHEAT thing...yeah, wheat's in EVERYTHING!

I had a bare pantry 2 weeks ago, but now it's a nice wheat-free/dairy-free place that I can feel good knowing that I can prepare foods for Ayden that will help him meet his goals and if not, well...there's no harm in continuing this diet. We all know that processed foods contain so many chemicals that aren't found in "nature" nor are they "all-natural".

Do we really know what we're feeding our children?

It's a Deen-Inspired Dinner...

It's a cold snowy evening and I'm wanting some comfort food. I've had a sick boy all day and just need a simple, delicious and quick dinner that will leave me full.

PAULA DEEN to the Rescue!

So, I searched the Internet for recipes all afternoon. I've found a few that I wanted to try, but lacked several key ingredients to make the recipe. Such as Coconut Fried Chicken or Coconut Panko Crusted Tilapia, Pacific Island Fish in Coconut Sauce and Cajun Shrimp Burgers. Notice the coconut theme going on...I had a wonderful Chinese dish called Coconut Chicken off a buffet yesterday and can't stop thinking about it!

However, I was set on having seafood, but something simple. I thought about making Fish Madalene and serving Lemon-Basil Bowties and thawing a Spinach Souffle and stuffed into tomatoes and broiling...but that was too much work.

I ventured out into the Land Of Deen & Butter and came up with Shrimp & Grits and a Baked Rice Pudding for dinner.

The Shrimp & Grits were simple enough, I didn't have all the ingredients, but I used regular bacon, red onion, cherry tomatoes, Cajun seasoning on the shrimp, a dash of Frank's Red Hot in the cream sauce, deglazed the pan with twice the amount of wine, and threw some cheese in the cream sauce to thicken it.

WOW! IT WAS WONDERFUL!

Next time, I'm going to deglaze the pan with a mild beer. The wine made it a bit too sweet, yet still delicious.

Now the Baked Rice Pudding....it was different than what I expected. Maybe, it's better cold or that it failed my expectations following the Shrimp & Grits. It was okay, but I think next time I'll just buy some CozyShack Rice Pudding and call it a day. You know, cause it's all butter!

Put the Chicken in the Pot....

So, I found another really cool blog to follow...Our Best Bites.com

Love it! It's wonderful...it's exciting

and it has to do with food!

I've just discovered their Faux-Rotisserie Chicken...simply amazing. Just cook it for 7-8 hours on low heat in the CrockPot and there you go...Sunday evening dinner and you didn't break a sweat. We enjoyed (or I enjoyed) a 7 layer Salad with the chicken. Just awesome and surprisingly it turned out to be a NO Butter meal. Who would have thought?

NOT LASAGNA!!!!

I did a little detour who the main dish was inspired by-but the butter was there!
Rachel Ray (RR) made her Two Sauce Lasagna Bowls eariler this week on what I am sure was a rerun of 30 Minute Meals. Anyways, I decided to give it a shot.
I use rotini pasta as well as a jar sauce. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. It turned out really well. It actually looks like homemade hamburger helper, but we have decided to call it "Not Lasagna".

The taste is really close to actual lasagna and has landed a place in our menu rotation. One ladle of pasta and one ladle of meat sauce is enough to fill you up.

Emma asked that next time we add a small bowl of Olive Garden's Salad to round out our Not Lasagna and slice of fresh (store bought) Italian Bread. Cause you know, it's all butter!!!

Paula Deen...No You Didn't!

Krispy Kreme Doughnut, egg, bacon, hamburger......heart attack!

Just watch this. (click here)

I'm just in shock!

It's all about Butter Ya'll!

Oven Night

Almost everything I made tonight for dinner was done in the oven. It was NOT done on purpose. I didn't realize it until I had dessert in the oven and I needed to add something else to it. Mom and I made the dinner tonight. It was in the category of awesome. Parmesan Chicken Tenders, PD's Mini Onion Quiches Italian Tomatoes, PD Lady's Cheesy Mac and for dessert, Lady Cream Cheese Brownies. All of the PD recipes came from her first cookbook, and since I had to look them up online because I have alread returned the cookbook, I can not get you the page numbers, but that is where the recipes came from.
Mom raved over the Parmesan Tenders. That is part of a recipe from the Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian collection that Jamey & the kids already like.
The quiches were good room temp, but were better warm when they came from the oven. The mac n' cheese wasn't anything super special as it was a basic mac n' cheese. Nikki suggested that we take the rustic bread topping from MS's crapy mac & try it own what I made tonight. The brownies were the same as I made on Jan 8th, so we knew they were going to be great. I decided on that desert so everyone else could taste them since there wasn't any left from Joey's b-day dinner.
We washed it down with some throwback Mt.Dew, which is oh, so very very good!
OMG - it's ALL BUTTER!!!

Omelets

So, I didn't get to post this last night because I had 2 boys that had not done their spanish homework which was due today. Anyway, so the omelets was a new thing for me. I didn't have the 7 in skillet which Julia calls for in her cookbook but my pampered chef one did the job. The 1st couple were not the best looking but in the end the last ones turned out beautifully. Still all was eaten and everyone had a full tummy. So with a little practice I say they may become one of the family faves.

Garlic Bread

Tonight I wanted some fresh garlic bread to eat with the spaghetti. Jamey got out some White Wheat hotdog buns from the freezer for us to use.
I softened some unsalted butter and mixed in some minced garlic. I brushed the mixture on each half of the bun & put it under the broiler. It turned out okay, but we needed a more butter & garlic flavor going on.
Might have to add some garlic power & brush it again with butter when it comes out of the oven. Cause it's all butter!

Tuesday's Lunch and Dinner

Well today we had Creamy Potato Soup and sandwiches for lunch. It was very yummy. Instead of lettuce my kids like the green leaf spinich leaves...which I think is an exellant choice. I also think there is nothing to warm you up on a cold winters day than a hot steamy bowl of potato soup.

For dinner we had Italian Mac and Cheese. I got the recipe from my sister n law Nikki. It was a big hit at our house and yes everyone ate the mushrooms....shocker there. So we would have a veggie we had sauteed green beans.

Dessert was a 3 minute Chocolate Cake in a large microwave proof coffee mug. It was a pain in the tail fixing 5 cups of this stuff separate, next time Ill just put the batter in one bowl and then pour into mugs. But it was still delish with chocolate icing and whip cream. It was great not having one fussing over who got more because it was all the same portion.

Haven't decided if tomorrow will be FFYSN (Fend for Your Self Night) . We have one or two of these a month depending on how busy the week is going. I love it...it means no clean up for mom!

Rebekah's First Attempt at MtAoFC Vol.1

Thanks to Julie and Julia I have fell in love with french cooking. So last night I made guinea pigs out of my family and we had Fondue De Poulet A' La Creme pg 262 , Concombres Au Beurre pg499, rice because I did not have time to make Risotto, and for dessert Tarte Au Fromage Frais pg 647. In English that is Chicken simmered with cream and onions, baked cucumbers, and cream cheese tart-hot or cold. It was easy to make all done with in 2 hrs. I thought the cucumbers were awesome...tasted like a baked pickle. The cream and onion sauce was the biggest hit , poured over rice...tasty. Can't wait until the next attempt...any ideas?

Birthday Dessert

So, tomorrow is Joey's 14th Birthday. Emma has a VB tourney is in Sparta, so we did his dinner tonight. He chose his menu as each of my kids do for their birthdays. He chose filet migon, bacon potatoes, burnt broccoli and broccoli with cheese sauce. Then for dessert, he wanted marbled brownies.

Well, as for the dinner courses, those were easy, I make them through out the year. The brownies I knew were going to give me a fit since I the last time I tried to make them.

Paul Deen to the rescue! Page 149 & 150 for the Lady Brownies & Cream Cheese Brownies from The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook. PERFECTION!!! There is no other word for it!

I also made Peanut Butter Bread page 102 from the same cookbook. It was ok. Kinda dry, but maybe that is way it says eat with some homemade jam.

But hey - it's all butter!

A Cooking Lesson

So, in my house I have always encouraged my kids to help me cook. So, last night Emma got a lesson on how to make scalloped potatoes. She is really good at peeling potatoes, so I called on my way home from the office to have her start that and give us a head start on dinner.
As I was grating the cheese Emma asked if she could put it all together. As she was following my directions she was like "This is SO easy! I could SO make this next time!" Now, if you know Emma you know how excited she can become on the most simplest things and can just hear her saying this.
The potatoes turned out wonderfully delish! But you know it's all butter!

Goodbye Martha.......we're re-shelving you!

I have poured over Martha's cookbook and I believe that she cannot redeem herself with any recipe in the cookbook I own. Compared to Child and Deen, Stewart's flavorless recipes and UNLIMITED budget for ingredients has put her back on the shelf. So we’re renaming the blog…..Mastering the Art of French and Southern Cooking. I really hate it for Martha, she did have some nice top-shelf drink recipes, but 2010 is the year of being happy and frugal, not disappointed and broke. I finally was able to doctor the macaroni and cheese that I made the other night and made it edible. It’s called Mrs. Dash and lots of it! I believe I’m still pissed about the $6 worth of cheese, but I’ve ate dinner at a bad restaurant and spent more than that.

I really hate to see her go, but she’s left us no choice. After pouring through recipes titled as “Lobster Rolls” , which in fact is 1 ½ lbs of cooked lobster meat chopped up from a 4 ½ lb lobster, served on a hotdog bun with mayo and spices. Now, as readers, would you want to spend the money for lobster and serve it on a hotdog bun, even if it calls for the fancier “split-top bun”? I don’t think so! What about “Grilled Knockwurst”? I don’t even know what that is! However, if I win the lottery, I’ll be able to afford this extravagant cookbook filled with over-priced ingredients. If there is someone out there who really wants Martha as a part of this, speak now or forever hold your mouth shut! I hate to be so sour about this, but Martha, you made me ill! BTW-I found a neat article on RealSimple.com. Follow the link.

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/kitchen/organizing-recipes-foolproof-methods-10000001558999/index.html

After all it’s all butter!

Sunday Evening

So Sunday evening we had hot dogs, chili, slaw, and fries. I had to pick Emma up from volleyball practice so I decided to stop back by Food Lion to grab the items I didn’t when I was there 2 hours earlier when I bought the groceries for the next 2 weeks. I was really proud that I only spent $99.48 the first trip for groceries, but just so you know, I did have some items on hand plus I bought some pantry items to help restock (i.e. Stove Top Savory Herb & FL Shell’s and Cheese.)
-off topic- the FL brand is less salty & cheaper than Velveeta brand. –back on topic-
When I came home from FL (first trip), I began preparation for dinner. Started the chili and made the slaw. The head of cabbage I bought Thursday was a little larger than what I wanted but there wasn’t a great selection at ugg-Walmart (hey-I was there & the hot dogs were on sale & I had other stuff I had to get). So, I made enough BBQ slaw for the family for dinner and tomorrow leftovers. I still had a VERY large amount of cabbage to use so I made up the rest of it and I will be taking it to the office tomorrow to see if anyone wants it. The chili wasn’t my best, I am not sure why it wasn’t my best, but the kids & Jamey still ate it.
On my way out the door to get Em from practice I grabbed a The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook by Paula Deen. I knew I wanted to make a dessert but not sure of what. I had perused the book several times & had noted some recipes I wanted to try. I decided as Em walked out from the gym that I was going to attempt Gooey Butter Cakes (pg 125). I spent another $12.22 at FL. NOTHING was on sale, plus I did purchase 2lbs of butter (1lb unsalted & 1lb salted). Plus I had no cake mixes in the pantry or cream cheese. I cannot find a note in the cookbook that says where to use salted or unsalted butter. So I used the salted tonight.
I made the basic Gooey Butter Cakes recipe. It smelled wonderful coming out of the oven and the filling rose quite high. As it cooled it sank back down.

We “tested” it while it was warm. OMG! It is sooooo good! There is definitely no way to make this healthy…because it’s all butter!

*NOTE-I have learned that since I purchase the imitation vanilla flavoring b/c it is cheap, that if I double the amount called for in a recipe, it does what the really good expensive stuff does in regular amounts.*

If Martha's joining the party, she better step it up a notch.....

So, I started planning my menu for the week on Sunday afternoon. I really wasn't feeling all that well, but had to do it. I flipped and flipped through the cookbooks for a Macaroni & Cheese recipe. I planned on Salmon Patties, Southern Style Greens, Macaroni & Cheese and Deviled Eggs for dinner one night this week.
Scratch that- in lieu of the the greens we had Artichokes with Hollandaise Sauce from MtAoFC. I picked a Mac & Cheese from ole' Martha's cookbook (pg. 227)that had crusty bread torn apart on top, cherry tomatoes and white cheddar cheese. Sounded good and not complicated. Okay, so I made it per the directions with SIX dollars worth of Wisconsin White Cheddar Cheese, one pound of cherry tomatoes, the quart of milk and other ingredients it called for.
Let's just say after enjoying the Hollandaise Sauce (pg. 81) poured over my Salmon Patties and dipping my artichoke petals into, Martha now has her head on the chopping block. She needs to redeem herself and do it quickly. The macaroni was okay, it was missing something. I loved the crusty bread topping and the cherry tomatoes in it, but not loving the flavor of the cheese sauce. It could have been the white cheddar, but not 100% sure on that. Next time I make macaroni and cheese, I'll incorporate the tomatoes and the crusty bread topping into another recipe. The artichokes were good, but A LOT of work for so little. I made them according to the basic directions on page 424. I liked the petals better than the heart, however, this might be a different story when I have a better variety to choose from later this spring.
Back to the YUMMY Hollandaise Sauce-I cheated and did the directions for the blender. It was so easy to make, MtAoFC says that an 8 year old can do it and I agree. Who knew that a stick of butter, a little salt & pepper, lemon juice and egg yolks would be so heavenly? YUM! And to believe that McCormick sells a powder to make the same thing and it probably tastes like dirt compared to what I made. After all, it's all butter!

Choices

So. Choices. So many choices. I have to make a decision on where to begin. I am leaning toward a dessert. Not knowing by who yet, but my sweet tooth is calling.
I picked up two PD & 1 JC book at the library yesterday just to look. I haven't even cracked open the JC book yet. It's not her cookbook, it's like a how to do stuff book. I'll get the name up if I use something out of it.
I did cook some eggs for breakfast this morning. Michael had fried & Emma had an omelet. I had the pan shaking going for the Em's omelet & it was going great. It was loose an' all like JC describes in her book - but I chickened out and slipped half it out of the pan onto her plate and flipped the other half on top. My omelet stuck so I had a super scrambled egg. Still edible, which is what matters the most, right? But hey- it's all butter!