Mom's Beef Stew

Last night I made my mom's beef stew with some rolls. My husband loves all my mom's old recipes and requests them often. My mom's stew is the epitome of comfort food for me and yesterday's dreary day was in need of some comfort.

When we were first married and I told my husband I was going to make stew he started gagging. I guess all his experiences with stew was Dinty Moore or something. When he tried this stew he changed his mind about stew and this recipe became a favorite. Make sure when you buy stew meat that it is extra lean. Stew meat has the tendency to be really nasty. I couldn't find anything decent last week so I bought steak tips at Trader Joes (which was the same price as stew meat, but so much better!). I also like to add a big ol' heap of cottage cheese on the side of my stew (did I just hear Kathee scream?). I know, I'm weird, but it's so good with the gravy.

Mom's Beef Stew

Pkg. stew meat (make sure it’s extra lean)
Flour (to coat the meat)
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg. baby carrots
1 ½ tsp. curry powder
4 beef bouillon cubes, crushed (I use a heaping tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon)
4 – 5 potatoes cut into chunks
1 pkg. of brown gravy mix
1 pkg. of country gravy mix

Salt and pepper meat and dredge into flour. In a large pot, brown meat (medium heat) with olive oil. Add onions and cook until tender. Fill pot halfway with water. Add curry and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil; turn heat to low and cover for 2 hours. Add carrots and potatoes, cover and boil for another 20-30 minutes (until vegetables are tender). Make gravy by putting water, flour and 2 gravy mixes (make it to the consistency that you like) into an empty glass jar and shake; then add to the stew. Stir and heat for five more minutes.

Mock Chicken Fried Steak

So today was a yucky day.  My husband is still out of town. Boooo....  It was cloudy (or inversion-y)all day.  Booooo.......  My kids were being rude.   Booooooo.....  It was definitely a comfort food day.  I love making this recipe when I need comfort food, but I have to warn you, it's a tad unhealthy.  When I say tad, I mean to say, pre heart attack level unhealthy.  I love it though, because I am a chicken fried steak fanatic, and this is a super easy, quick way to make a mock version of it.  I serve it with mashed potatoes, in which I up the heart attack factor by adding tons of cream, butter and cream cheese.  I made some country gravy (from a packet, I admit it) and some corn to finish it off.  The corn is so good, it's from the farmer's market down the street.  This summer I bought tons and tons of it, and froze it for a special winter treat.  I'm so glad I did, this meal cheered me right up!!


Mock Chicken Fried Steak
Recipe from Allrecipes


Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef
2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 egg
2 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 cup canola oil for frying

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, parsley, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, egg and 1 cup of the breadcrumbs. Form into 12 balls, then flatten into patties. Coat patties with remaining crumbs and put on a plate. Put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry patties for about 7 minutes per side, until golden brown. Enjoy your arteries hardening and resolve to only eat fruits and veggies tomorrow!!!

Vicki's Hawaiian Casserole - Making the most of a bad situation

So my husband is out of town.  I hate it when he is out of town.  I miss him so much.  He's my best friend, you know.  We have so much fun together.  There is only ONE positive thing about him being gone and this is it - I get to make things for dinner that he doesn't like.  Now he's not a super picky guy, there aren't a lot of things he doesn't like, but it just so happens that he doesn't like a couple of things that I LOVE.  One of them is Vicki's Hawaiian Casserole, which he doesn't like because I made it once a week for a year when we were first married.  What's the big deal about that??!! 

Now Vicki, the lovely lady behind this recipe, lives across the street from my parents, and besides being the sweetest woman around is an AMAZING cook.  Is it horrible that I would look forward to one of my parents being sick, so Vicki would bring us over some lasagna, ravioli or this casserole?!  (I didn't really look forward to them being sick, I swear!!)  The combination might sound weird, but I'm telling you, it is delicious!!


Vicki's Hawaiian Casserole
Recipe courtesy of Vicki Kovalesky


Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 stick butter
1 bunch green onion, diced
8 carrots, cut into slivers
6 eggs, scrambled
1 package thin pasta noodles (angel hair, fettucinne, spagetti...) cooked and drained
Soy sauce, to taste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the green onions and carrots.  Cook until tender.  Add chicken, scrambled eggs and butter mixture to the pasta.  Drizzle soy sauce over the top and stir it all together.  Taste it to see if you like the amount of soy sauce, if not, add some more.  If you think you added too much, sorry.  That's a bummer.

Tex-Mex Egg Rolls with Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Today I am grateful for this blog. I've had a down day and was really comfortable on the couch with my warm quilt, snuggling my baby when my husband walked through the door. I contemplated having toast for dinner for a second but then realized that toast wouldn't be very fun to write about. So I got up and made dinner. I notice that when I don't want to do things that are normally fun for me (like cooking) then there must be something wrong. These baby blues seem to be lasting a long time this time. So, thank you blog for making me cook today.

Today I made Tex-Mex Egg rolls and they are so, so yummy. I usually always make them a day or two after I make Chinese Egg rolls because I always have egg roll wrappers left over and I can't let anything go to waste. Besides, like I said, these are sooooo yummy (especially the sauce!).

Tex-Mex Egg Rolls with Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce

1 pkg. (5oz) yellow rice
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. Hot pork sausage
1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5oz) can Mexican style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack
6 green onions, finely chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
28 egg roll wrappers
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 cups peanut oil

Cook rice according to pkg. directions, using 1 tsp. salt. Cool completely. Cook sausage in a skillet over med. heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well. Let cool. Stir together rice, sausage, black beans and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture in center of each egg roll wrapper. Fold top corner of wrapper over filling, tucking tip of corner under filling. Lightly brush remaining corner with egg; tightly roll filled ends towards the remaining corner and gently press to seal. Pour oil into heavy dutch oven; heat to 375 degrees. Fry egg rolls, in batches, 2-3 minutes or until golden. Drain on wire rack over paper towels. Serve with creamy cilantro dipping sauce.

Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce:
1 (10oz) can Mexican style diced tomatoes
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
½ cup sour cream
1 garlic clove, minced

Process ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Makes 1 ½ cups.

Macaroni and Cheese with Garlic Green Beans

Last night our family discussed our goals for the coming year.  I was happy to see my children embrace the opportunity to improve things.  As for me, I have so many things to improve it's overwhelming.  I do have some specific goals though that pertain to our family's meals.  One is to have more meatless meals.  This is hard for me, because for whatever reason I just draw a blank whenever I try to come up with a dinner without any meat!!  I've made a goal to at LEAST do it one day a week though, thus Meatless Monday has been born in my home!!  My other goal is to serve more fruits and vegetables to my family.  Honestly, my kids eat plenty of fruit, but the vegetable part is more....... challenging.  Since they don't like and won't eat them (except my daughter who adores salads and doesn't seem to mind that I fill them with carrots, broccoli, bell peppers)(and they will all eat bell peppers and carrots raw as snacks, but HATE THEM cooked)I've taken the easy route most of the time and just not served them with our meals. 

For dinner last night I made my most favorite macaroni and cheese recipe.  This is so good!!  I served it with green beans that turned out so yummy I ended up eating them like french fries!  Of course, the kids gagged on the ONE I forced them to eat.  Typical!!  Baby steps, Kathee, baby steps..........



Down Home Macaroni and Cheese


4 tbsp. butter, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1/4 pound Velveeta
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (sharp please, if you're boring mild will do.....)
2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked and drained (or any other small pasta)
2 tbsp. seasoned dry breadcrumbs

Directions:

Melt 4 tbsp. of the butter in a large saucepan on low heat.  Blend in flour and salt; cook and stir 1 minute.  Gradually add milk; cook, stirring contantly, until thickened.  Add Velveeta, (cut into cubes) and 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese.  Stir in macaroni.  Pour into lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.  Melt remaining tbsp. of butter and mix with the bread crumbs.  Sprinkle casserole with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Recipe from allrecipes.



Garlic Green Beans


I made this recipe up.  I melted 2 tbsp. of butter and about 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet.  I added appox. 3/4 pound of fresh green beans and put a lid on top for about 5 minutes.  After the 5 minutes, I added 2 tsp. of minced garlic, salt, pepper and onion powder.  Then I decided it didn't look garlic-y enough so I gave them a good dousing with garlic powder.  I let them cook for a few more minutes and then they were done!!

Make it Work! Jambalaya, Sour Cream Yeast Rolls and Dutch Apple Pie

Today I made mom's Jambalaya, a favorite the whole family will eat (doesn't happen too often) with a side of pineapple and sour cream yeast rolls. Now everybody loves my rolls, especially my kids. My two-year-old is known for stealing them during dinner and eating them super fast before anyone notices. He was so excited that we were having rolls today that as soon as my husband walked through the door this evening he yells, "Daddy we're having rolls for dinner!! Yay!!" Because my family loves them so much I make them 2-3 times a week. Thank goodness they are easy to make.

Meals like Jambalaya are great because I can make them while the baby naps and the kids play and then put it in the oven later. Except today my baby was in no mood for a nap and the kids seem to not want me out of their sight today. So I made the best of it. I set my Pandora radio to "The Shins station" (I need music in order to function properly) while my eldest son did his math homework at the dining table, my two-year-old played his magnet game on the fridge and my always helpful daughter played with the baby. It somehow worked out perfectly.

I managed to make a pie for FHE, too. This one is my sweet husband's favorite.

My two-year-old, about to swipe a roll.

Mom's Jambalaya

2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 green pepper, chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 package of small pork sausages (Little Smokies), cut up
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
2 cups chicken broth
few of dashes of parsley
1 tsp. salt
2 dashes of cayenne pepper (omit this if your kids don't like spicy food)
1 ¼ cup of rice
dash of thyme
2 cans of tomatoes

Sauté onion, pepper, garlic and sausage in oil until veggies are tender. Add chicken and all remaining ingredients. Put into 9 X 13 pan. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 1hour or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Bread Machine Sour Cream Yeast Rolls

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter -- cut into small piece
1 egg
2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast

Combine ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturer's directions and process in dough cycle. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, and knead 4 to 5times (I'm lazy and don't even do this); divide in half. Shape each portion into 9 rolls, and place in an 8-in round pan (I divide them into 12 rolls and place them in a greased muffin tin). Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, 40 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes.

Dutch Apple Pie with Oatmeal Struesel
recipe courtesy of allrecipes

1 (9 inch) pie shell
5 cups apples - peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Fit pastry shell into pie pan and place in freezer.

To Make Apple Filling: Place apples in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine 2 tablespoons flour, white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix well, then add to apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated.
Remove pie shell from freezer. Place apple mixture in pie shell and dot with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling, but do not seal.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

While filling is baking, make Streusel Topping: In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, and lemon peel. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Remove filling from oven and sprinkle streusel on top.

Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until streusel is browned and apples are tender. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning.

Carrie's Notes: So good! If you like Apple Crisp then you'll love this pie. Tips...Freezing crust is not necessary. Also, I used a 1/4 cup of flour in the filling to thicken it up (per recommendations).

Calzones - (also known as, you can't please everyone, every day)

Last week my youngest son asked me to make calzones for dinner.  I love getting requests for dinner (saves me the time trying to think of what to make!) so I was only too happy to oblige him and made them last night.  I was suddenly thrust into a familiar situation - all at once I had two ricotta haters (the same two kids who inhale lasagna like nobody's business).  My kids will change what they like and don't like from one day to the next.  The biggest problem with this is my reaction - my feelings get hurt!!   Logically, I know this isn't reasonable.  There are seven of us in our family, the odds are against me being able to make something every single one of us likes every day.  So what can I do?  I decided I'm just going to make what I want, and fulfill special requests and if somebody doesn't like it, OH WELL. 

After the pouts were over and tears were dried (oh, the injustice of a homemade calzone!!) we went on to have a great meal.  Our Sunday dinner tradition is to go around the table and have everyone explain what they learned in church that day.  Invariably, one will always claim to have forgotten already, another will always say she learned about Jesus and another one always recites his entire lesson verbatim.  The oldest shares the jokes he told while the teacher was trying to drive home a spiritual point, at which time my husband and I both will shout "Don't be THAT kid!!" but he always just laughs and we know he is already thinking of jokes to tell next week.

I love Sunday dinner.

Calzones

This entire recipe is just kind of made up.  I use a pizza crust recipe that I got somewhere ages ago and have changed around so many times it's all mine now.  The filling is just what I felt like filling it with yesterday (obviously, a HUGE mistake according to two of my kids), you could also fill it with sausage, ham, pepperoni, veggies, etc.. etc...

Dough:

2 1/4 tsp. or one packet of active dry yeast

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. olive or vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups warm water

3 cups all purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water.  Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until bubbly.

Stir the salt and oil into the yeast mixture.

Mix in the 3 cups of flour.  Cover bowl with a towel and let rise for 1 hour.  Punch down the dough and let it rest for 1 minute.  Roll out into a rectangle.  I cut it into 5 wide strips which made 5 GINORMOUS calzones.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Filling:

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. parsley

1 tsp. basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in bowl.  Spoon ricotta mixture onto one side of the strip of dough.  Fold the dough over and press along all the edges to make sure the filling doesn't come out.  Brush the tops of the calzones with an egg yolk wash for color.

Bake for 25 minutes. 

I usually heat up some pizza sauce to dip the calzone into also.