Saturday Night Dinner at Home

Yesterday was a lazy Saturday afternoon.  And what did I say I like to do on lazy weekends???  Bake!!!
So I dug through my cookbook and found a recipe from my mom - not from my grandmother, even though that's what it's called - but I'm pretty sure it's a recipe my mom used when we were growing up.

Grandma's Popovers
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk

In a bowl, combine flour and salt.  Combine eggs and milk, whisk into dry ingredients just until blended.
Using two 12-cup muffin tins, grease and flour five alternating cups of one tin and four cups of the second tin; fill two-thirds full with batter.  Fill the empty cups two-thirds full with water.  Bake at 450 for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 - DO NOT open oven door.  Bake 15 minutes longer or until deep golden brown. (do not under bake)

I did not have a 12-cup muffin tin, I just have 2 6-cup tins.  So, I greased and floured 3 alternating cups of each tin and filled the remaining with water.  I only had to bake an extra 3 in one tin when the first batch was done because this recipe yields 9 popovers.  BE SURE to grease and flour well - they will stick!

Popovers taste best warm and with butter.  So, what I did with some of them when they came out of the oven was brush the top with butter and then I poked a hole in each and dropped a cube of butter in. 
Delicious!!!

I also have to share with you what we had for dinner.
We have some amazing sauces from a company called Garlic Survival - I bought Matt a whole box of different kinds for Christmas and we realized we hadn't used the Garlic "Q" BBQ sauce.
So, Matt grilled a couple of chicken breasts in the Garlic "Q" sauce last night and we served them on a salad.
Again, so delicious!!!

http://www.garlicsurvival.com/

Wok

I love stir-fry - it is delicious!  We make stir-fry quite a lot in our house and many different ways.
Last night I tried steak and vegetable stir fry over brown rice.  A variety of vegetables is key to a delicious stir fry.
Also, a well seasoned Wok will help to make good stir-fry.  Our wok is from my grandfather - it's one of the old stove top kind.  I think electric wok's are available now - but the stove top kind are best in my opinion.


Growing up we use to have "Egg-roll Factory" at our house - that's what my dad called it.  My sister and I would roll homemade filling in egg roll wrappers and dad would fry them while make chicken lo-mien in the wok - it was one of my favorite dinners!


Anyway, here's the recipe from last night.


Steak-Vegetable Stir Fry
2 steaks (we used some smaller round steaks from our 1/2 beef in the freezer)
Soy Ginger Dressing or a similar Asian Salad Dressing
1-2 cups of each:
       chopped celery
       chopped carrots
       sliced onions
       sliced green peppers
       cleaned green beans
       (broccoli and cabbage is also great in stir fry, but we didn't have any)
2-3 chopped green onions
2 Tbsp minced garlic, divided
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 cup cold water
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
2 cups prepared brown rice


I know the ingredients look like a lot but stir fry is all about picking what you like.  Simply choose a few of the ingredients and go from there - to each their own!  You may also use pork or chicken instead of steak.  Or no meat - we've done that too.


Begin with marinating the steak.  Cut into thin strips and put into a large resealable bag with enough of the soy/ginger dressing to cover.  Mix together in the bag and allow to sit while you chop the vegetables.  The Soy Ginger Dressing I used was a bottle I found at that AMAZING Trader Joe's store, however, Kraft also makes an Asian Dressing that's good too.
At this time also combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, Cayenne, cornstarch, water, and remaining Tbsp of garlic in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Once you've prepped the veggies, heat 2 Tbsp of oil in the wok - also add 1 Tbsp minced garlic.  Make sure the oil heats up, at least medium high, before you add the steak.  Cook until done - feel free to leave some pink if you like it that way.  Remove from the wok with a tongs and set aside. 
In the reserve liquid, add the veggies, one kind at a time, stir, and continue adding.  Stir fry a few minutes then add the soy mixture.  Stir well.  Let the liquid begin to boil and thicken, then lower the heat and add the steak.  Heat through and serve over brown rice - so good!

Mom - Meatloaf - Now!

I love meatloaf!  Meatloaf and mashed potatoes - it doesn't get any more Midwestern than that.
Here's my favorite meatloaf recipe!

Mom's Meatloaf
1-1/2 ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1 can (5-1/2 oz) V8 Juice or Spicy V8 Juice (I've also used homemade tomato juice)
1/2 seasoned bread crumbs (I use the Italian style)
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder - or 1/2 to 1 tsp
1/3 cup ketchup

Combine the egg, juice, bread crumbs, soup mix, cheese and garlic powder in large bowl.  Crumble beef over mixture and mix well - with hands :).  Pat into an ungreased loaf pan.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30minutes.  Spread ketchup over top and bake 10 minutes longer until thermometer reads 160 or no pink is left.  I broiled the top just a few minutes to get some more of than delicious crust.

We were so hungry the night I made this, that I forgot to take a picture before we cut into it...oops!

Cream Cheese and Chive Potatoes

Potatoes - about 5-7

1 tub cream cheese with chive spread.  May use only half of tub.

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup ranch

1 green onion, diced

salt and pepper

I'm not sure how many pounds we used, but it was about 5 medium size potatoes.  I leave the skins on and just clean the potatoes and cut them into 1/3 chunks.  Boil until tender.  Then I mash by hand and add the cream cheese, ranch, and milk, along with a little salt and pepper and then use the hand mixer to whip them.  Add more ranch or milk, salt and pepper, to taste.  Sprinkle with green onion.

And that right there is a delicious Midwestern dinner!



Quick Pizza Foldover

This nifty little recipe came out of one of my Taste of Home magazines last summer.  I've made it two different ways.

Beef & Cheese Foldover
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp A.1 Steak Sauce
1/2 cup hot water
2 cups all-purpose baking mix (I use Jiffy)
1 cup shredded cheese, preferably Mexican style
1/2 tsp parsley flakes

Brown meat with onions in large skillet and drain.  Stir in corn, ketchup and steak sauce, set aside.
Add water to baking mix and stir until mixture forms dough.  Shape into ball and place on floured surface - knead 5 times or until smooth and no longer sticky.
Roll into 12-inch circle/  Transfer to baking greased baking sheet. (I used our pizza stone.)
Spoon the meat mixture onto the center of the dough and spread to within 2 inches of the edge.  Fold edges of dough over meat leaving center uncovered.
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  Top the filling with cheese and bake 5 minutes longer.  Sprinkle with parsley.
I also brushed a little olive oil on the crust when I added the cheese and then sprinkled a little garlic salt and cheese on the crust. 

The first time I made this, I didn't have enough dough rolled out and had very little folded edges so I simply mixed up a little more baking mix and water and covered the entire top.  It was like eating a stuffed pizza!

This second time I made it I did not roll the dough thin enough and it got a little thick.  I also forgot to add the parsley...oh well...
Still a really easy and fairly quick recipe.  You can prep the dough while the meat and onions on cooking.

My Friend Kelli

This past weekend I spent with my high school friend, Kelli, at her place in Minneapolis.  Had I not been sick with a cold it would've been the bestest-of-best weekends!  But it was still a super-fun time, and boy did I have some delicious food!
I don't think Kelli will admit it, but she is a very talented cook!
We had:
Greek Salad on Friday night
Panakuken on Saturday morning (homemade, duh!)
Taco Pizza, Tortilla Chips, and DAM Margaritas Saturday night (which are also homemade - the DAM stands for Dave's Airport Margaritas...long story short, her dad's recipe he got from an airport)
Omelet and Toast on Sunday morning

All of it was wonderful!  But Matt just had to try the homemade tortilla chips when I got home so we made them last night, and I didn't do too bad.
Here's Kelli's recipe:

Tortilla Chips
1 pkg small, round tortillas (Mission brand preferred but others will work)
Canola Oil
Coarse Salt

Preheat oven to 350. (375 if your oven is dumb and doesn't heat up well :) )  With a folded paper towel, dip into the canola oil and dab lightly onto one side of the tortilla.  Repeat with about 5-6 shells.  Use a sharp knife, cut the tortilla into 8 triangles.  Lay onto sheet pan in single layer and sprinkle with coarse salt. 

Bake approximately 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Make sure they get brown, otherwise they will be chewy.  Repeat with all tortillas.

Any grocery store should have different size boxes of coarse salt - don't use regular salt.

Good Job Kelli!

Also, for dinner last night, Matt grilled up a few steaks and I made cheesy potatoes to go with them.  A lot of people have their own recipe for cheesy potatoes - I like my mom's.

Cheesy Potatoes
1 pkg frozen southern style potatoes (the cubed kind), thawed
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 cup sour cream with chives
1 cup crushed corn flakes or tortilla chips

In a greased 13 x 9 inch pan, combine the potatoes, cream of chicken, sour cream, and 1/2 the can of cheese soup.  Mix well and spread out in pan.  Top with remained cheese soup.  Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.  Top with crushed flakes or chips and back approximately 5 minutes longer.

This picture is from a few years ago when Kelli lived in Chicago, but I thought it was a good picture and worth sharing!  Hope you like Kelli :)

We have got to see Wicked again!

Fist Pumpin' Dinner

You know Spring is here or coming when there's fresh green beans in the grocery store!
We love sauteed green beans, and they make a perfect side to our favorite roll-ups.

Cheeseburger Roll-ups
1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
6 strips bacon, cut into pieces
8 oz Velveeta
1 tub Large Buttermilk Biscuits

How easy are those ingredients??? 
Brown the hamburger in a large skillet with onion and bacon until meat is no longer pink.  Drain.  Add cubed Velveeta and cook until melted, then remove from heat.
Flatten each biscuit, one at a time, to about 5 inch diameter.  Spoon about 3 Tbsp of meat mixture into center of biscuit and roll up.  Place seam-side down on lightly greased sheet pan.
Bake at 400 for about 17 minutes or until golden brown.
EASY AND DELICIOUS!
I like to serve my roll-ups with ranch and/or ketchup.

And then the green beans.
I usually just saute them in a skillet with olive oil and garlic and then add some lemon juice/zest.  But tonight I steamed them for 8 minutes, covered, in a steamer basket.  Then I melted 2 Tbsp butter, some olive oil, and about 3 Tbsp minced garlic in a large skillet until hot and added the beans.  Toss to coat and add a little Italian and Basil seasonings.  So good!

I love that Spring is just around the corner - it means outside running weather!  Already did that twice this week.

Also, I'm going to visit my good friend Kelli this weekend, so there won't be any recipes from me this weekend.  Instead I'm going to enjoy her delicious cooking! :)

Trader Joes

There is an AMAZING healthy, organic, fair-trade, food store in Rochester, MN called Trader Joe's.
Everyone must go to one!!!

Last weekend, Matt and I drove to my parent's house for the weekend with plans to visit Cabela's in Owatonna.  When we drove through Rochester Saturday night, my parents took us to their new favorite store that just opened...
And is it was wonderful!  I wish we had one over here, because I would be in there EVERY night!

What it is, is a health(ier) grocery store with a lot of organic things - at a cheap price.  Normally, specialty food stores are incredibly expensive, but not this one.
For instance, we were able to get a large bottle or Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, made in Italy, for less than $6.  This is a LARGE bottle, normally $15-$17 at any other grocery store.

So, anyway, we found some amazing foods and great prices - but couldn't buy any produce since we had the drive back home - but, from Dad's suggestion, we did check out their noodle selection and I found Gnocchi!
Whole wheat Gnocchi - not something you can find at any Walmart or HyVee.  I was thrilled!  I've always wanted to try some Gnocchi recipes.
We also bought a large jar of pesto and garlic marinara sauce. 
And here is what followed...

Gnocchi
Not many people have had this potato noodle - or know what it is.  So here's some pictures.

It really is a noodle made from potatoes, like the package said.  They taste GREAT homemade, but I don't think I can do anything like that - so packaged ones work too!

So, we cooked the Gnocchi according the package - put into bowling water and let bowl just until the Gnocchi floats to the top of the pan - about 2 minutes.

Then we tossed it in the heated garlic marinara - simple as that.  I also tossed some in Pesto - which was OK.

We also made some great Italian break with a little pesto and mozzarella in the oven.

Delicious!

Something I'm going to try next time - after you quickly boil the Gnocchi you can toss it into a heated skillet pan - a VERY hot skillet with a little olive oil for just a few seconds.  This will "fry" the outside of the noodle just a little, to give it some texture.  Then toss in sauce.

Chicken Enchilades

We love Mexican food and especially these enchiladas we have made several times!  It's easy and has many variations.

Chicken Enchiladas
2 frozen chicken breasts, thawed
1 tsp Cumin
1 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup frozen corn
4 oz cream cheese, cubed (or you can use that wonderful sour cream with chives!)
1 cup salsa, divided
7-8 flour tortillas
4-6 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 Tbsp milk
2 green onions, chopped
Optional: prepared flavored rice
Optional: 1 can enchilada sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly grease a 13 x 9 pan.
 In a large skillet cooked the chicken, adding cumin and salt and pepper to taste.  Once no longer pink, add the chopped green pepper and corn.  Cook for about 5 minutes, then add cream cheese or sour cream and about 1/2 salsa.  Cook on low heat until cream cheese is melted, stirring occasionally.
Spoon about 1/3 cup of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla.  If using rice, spoon 3 Tbsp of rice down center of tortilla first and then top with chicken mixture.  Roll up and place seam-side down in prepared pan.
In a small sauce pan, add Velveeta and milk and cook on low until completely melted, stirring frequently.  Pour over enchiladas.  If you choose, also pour enchilada sauce over top. 
Cover pan with foil and bake 20 minutes or until heated through.
Top with remaining salsa and sprinkle with green onion.

Now, I usually like to broil the tops of things I make, but DO NOT broil this.  I did and forgot it doesn't help.  You don't wan the broil because it dries out that Velveeta way too fast.

If you don't like rice in your enchiladas you can also try refried beans wrapped inside - or just serve rice or beans on the side.

3 of 3 Recipes - Meatball Stroganoff

Finally I am caught up!  I had 3 recipes to add - done!

Last night we got home late because I had my concert.  We we starved and wanted something quick - boom! spaghetti and meatball stroganoff!  I make this one a lot and I don't think Matt "loves" it, but I did make a change to it last night and we thought it was great!  Neither of us likes sour cream, but with cooking it's OK - sometimes.  This change on this recipe is I used the sour cream with chives in place of regular sour cream and I'm NEVER going back!  It was great!  In fact, I'm never buying regular sour cream again, only the kind with chives.

Meatball Stroganoff
1/2 lb spaghetti (we use the whole grain)
3/4 lb frozen cooked Italian meatballs, thawed (Walmart has a bag of these for less than $5 and I use about half the bag for this recipe)
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced or 2-3 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp concentrated au jus sauce (we never have this, so Worcestershire can be substituted)
1/8 Cajun seasoning - I use more like a full tsp. - Do purchase this specific seasoning, don't try to substitute.  I use it a lot more than I thought I would - (great with shrimp!)
1 cup sour cream WITH CHIVES :)

Cook spaghetti according to package.
In a large skillet, saute the meatballs, onion, and garlic in olive oil for 4-5 minutes or until meatballs are browned.  Stir in soup, milk, au jus sauce(Worcestershire), and seasoning.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes or until heated through. 
Gradually stir in sour cream and heat through.  I add a little more Cajun seasoning at this time too. 
Drain spaghetti and stir into skillet.

A quick, easy, and delicious recipe - even if the picture may not speak the best about it... :) Another great recipe from Taste of Home - great magazine!

2 of 3 Recipes- SW Goulash

Made this one for dinner the other night and it was VERY easy.  I recommend this one for any weekday night, or when you want something with noodles that's a little more exciting.  This one has a great Southwestern flavor!  Found it in my latest Simple and Delicious magazine.

Southwestern Goulash
1 cup elbow macaroni
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (I only had the Italian style kind, but tasted just fine!)
2/3 cup frozen corn
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1 can (4oz) chopped green chilies
1/2 tsp ground cumin - (I used more like 1-1/2tsp)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (I did not have any cilantro, but parsley can be substituted - I used dried parsley and only added about 1-2 Tbsp)
Fiesta/Mexican blend shredded cheese for topping

Cook macaroni according to package directions.
Meanwhile, cook beef and onion over medium heat in a dutch oven.  Add salt and pepper and cumin to season the meat.  This is where I ended up using about an extra tsp of cumin.
Cook beef until no longer pink and drain if necessary.
Stir in tomatoes, corn, tomato sauce, chilies, cumin, pepper, salt.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 3-4 minutes until heated through.
Drain macaroni and add to meat mixture.  Stir in cilantro or parsley. 
Add cheese blend to each bowl/plate - great topping!

1 of 3 Recipes - Blondies

Found this recipe on Sunday in a Homestyles cookbook.  I didn't have much to do on Sunday and what's my favorite thing to do on a lazy weekend??? Bake!

Blondies
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 Tbsp melted butter
2 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1-3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butterscotch chips (recipe calls for chopped walnuts but we don't like walnuts and I love butterscotch blondies, so...)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray.
In bowl, beat sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla on medium speed until well combined.
On low speed, beat in flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir in chips or nuts - any kind you like really!
Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan.  This was hard to do because the batter is thicker.  Just use a spatula and spread as best you can.  Keep in mind, it may look thin but these bars will bake up because of the baking powder.
Bake for 15-20 min. or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

 
So good - nice treat - I'm going to go grab one now! :)

Two Favorites in Our Kitchen

Just about everybody has made or enjoyed Tater-Tot Hotdish (and yes, it's "Hotdish", not "Casserole" - I'm from Minnesota and that's what you call it there).
The basic Tater Tot Hotdish has, ground beef, some kind of mixed frozen vegetables, cream of chicken or mushroom, and tots on top.
Last night we tried something a little different...

Tater Tot Hotdish
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg mixed frozen veggies - corn, carrots, green beans
1 can cream of chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1 pkg frozen tots
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream with chives - here's the kicker!

Brown hamburger in large skillet with chopped onion on medium heat - salt and pepper.  Drain if necessary.  Add frozen veggies, cream of chicken, and sour cream.  Mix and heat through.  Add about 1 cup of shredded cheese and combine.
Put entire mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  Top with remaining cheese.  Pour tater tots evenly on top and sprinkle with Season-All Salt - or something similar.
Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.  I always like to broil for a few minutes at the end.
This is one of Matt's favorite dishes and the addition of sour cream with chives was delicious!  It made for a creamier filling and the leftovers stayed that way instead of drying out.  Neither of us are huge sour cream fans, but sour cream with chives has a great flavor.  Try it sometime!
(Sorry I don't have a picture - we were too hungry and ate it before I could get one :)


Second favorite dish in our house that we make a lot - a skillet.  A lot of people have made this before too.  You can even buy the frozen package from the store - easy - but not as good as our homemade one!
We made this up one day and have made it several times since.

Skillet

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp minced garlic

3-4 small/medium potatoes

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 lb Mild Italian Sausage

4 eggs, beaten with a few Tbsp milk

Tortillas

Shredded Cheese

Other toppings: ranch, salsa, hot sauce

Heat olive oil and garlic in large skillet on medium heat.  Slice potatoes into medallions and then quarter each medallion.  Dry potato pieces with paper towel and add to heated skillet.  Toss to cover all in oil and garlic.  Add seasoning - we have this delicious seasoning mix from 331 Restaurant in Rochester, MN - it's got salt and spice, great for this!  You can use Season-All Salt and add a little Cayenne or Chili powder for a kick.

Cook potatoes a few minutes.  Add onion and pepper - stir.  Add move olive oil is the pan gets dry.  Cook until potatoes start to soften - but not completely.  Add sausage. 

Cook until no longer pink, then shift the mixture to one side of skillet and add beaten eggs.  Use a spatula to move the eggs around.  Cook through and combine into skillet.  Remove from heat.

We enjoy eating our skillet like a burrito - you've got to try this!

Our favorite tortillas to use our Mission Tortillas Caseras - their basic flour tortillas.  They're medium size and thicker than other tortillas.  Scoop some of the skillet onto a heated tortillas and top with shredded cheese - we usually use shredded cheddar.  Then you can choose to top it with a sauce/dip.  My favorite is a little ranch - Matt likes ranch and salsa.  A little hot sauce is also good.  But cheddar cheese and ranch is my choice every time :)

Roll up and enjoy!  Delicious!

Hit & Miss

Last night and tonight I made two new recipes- last night's was a success...tonight's could have been better.  This can happen to anyone - DO NOT get discouraged (like I kind of did tonight.)  Just try it again, or try something different. 
So, here's the good recipe from last night.

Pasta Primavera
9-13 oz whole wheat Penna pasta
2 frozen chicken breasts, thawed and cubed
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
1 cup milk
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
6 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1-2 cups small broccoli florets
1 cup halved baby carrots

Heat dressing and minced garlic in medium skillet.  Add cubed chicken and cook until no longer pink.  Remove chicken with slotted spoon and place on plate - cover to keep warm.  Place cream cheese, milk, Parmesan, and butter into same skillet.  Cook on medium-low heat until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring occasionally.  Add pepper, garlic powder, and nutmeg - stir until well blended.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package - add chopped broccoli and carrots for the last 5 minutes.  Drain.  Return to pot.
Toss pasta mixture with cream cheese mixture.

This was, of course, delicious!  Way better than the lame recipe I attempted tonight.  It's not even worth sharing with you...oh well.  Hope you enjoy the pasta!