Creamy Beef and Noodles

With twin babies and our hectic schedule, I have to be able to whip together quick, easy meals some days. Mondays are one of those days around here. I made this last Monday and it was really yummy. I wanted to make my Mom's Goulash recipe, but I didn't have macaroni noodles, so I combined elements from that with another casserole I sometimes make and came up with this.

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 sweet onion, diced
14 oz can tomato sauce
1 TBS Paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt, to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 cup of frozen corn
1 cup of sour cream
1 lb of pasta, I used rotini
Shredded cheddar cheese
2 sliced green onions

Brown beef in a large skillet, add onions and cook until translucent. Add tomato sauce, seasonings and corn, simmer while you boil the pasta. Preheat broiler. Drain pasta, add to the beef mixture, stir in sour cream. Transfer to a casserole dish, or use the skillet if it is oven-safe. Scatter shredded cheddar over the top, sprinkle with green onions and place under the broiler until cheese is nice and bubbly.

Chicken Rigatoni and Family History

A while back, I became interested in researching my Father's family. My biological Dad passed away when I was 14, and I never knew his Father or his father's family, except for one great-aunt. I met my grandfather only once, when I was maybe 3 or 4 years old, I very vaguely remember him.I've never actually spoken to him, though my research leads me to believe he may still be alive, so I am contemplating writing a letter. Anyway, my Grandma had told me a lot about the family. When she spoke of my Grandfather, she usually talked about how he cooked. He is Italian and from New York City and she told me about how when he made pasta, he'd have a big pot of sauce simmering all day long, and he'd stir it and check the spices and season it. The first time I set out to make homemade sauce, I disregarded any recipe that took less than 3 hours to make. She talked about his brothers and how they dressed and how the whole family ate. I always romanticized it in my head, and when I would see a big Italian family gathered together in movies or on TV, I always imagined that's what it was like and being a part of it. I have an Italian friend who is also from NY, and her family IS that large, loud, gorgeous, loving Italian family you see in movies. I remember eating dinner with her family and imagining that my Father's family was just like them and I might one day be a part of something like it. Please don't get me wrong, the family that I do know was wonderful to grow up in, and we had many many happy dinners and holidays.

Anyway, through my research I discovered that my Grandfather lived at least part of his life in upstate/central New York. Through researching the town, I found that there is a regional dish that is very popular there, called Chicken Riggies. I'd never heard of it in my life, but the description of rigatoni pasta, chicken, and peppers in a tomato cream sauce sounded amazing. I looked up several recipes and found that the recipes vary drastically from family to family. The ingredients that all of the recipes contained were rigatoni, cherry peppers, chicken, and tomatoes. So, I chose 5 recipes and picked and chose what I liked from them, added my own ingredients and preferred tastes, and came up with my own recipe. I can't call it Chicken Riggies, because I've never been anywhere near NY and I would have no idea if it tastes anything close to their beloved dish. I can tell you, though, that what I came up with is delicious. My husband devoured it, talked about it for days afterward, and has requested that I make it at least once a month.

Ingredients:

1 lb of Rigatoni pasta
2 lbs of boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
5 cloves of garlic, smashed, grated, or minced
1 bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces, I used green
7 jarred sweet cherry peppers, seeded and roughly chopped (I plan to try with fresh when in season)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 (28oz) can of whole tomatoes
1/2 cup sherry wine (cooking sherry is fine)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried basil (can use fresh, just triple the amount)
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes, optional
olive oil, for sauteing chicken and garlic

In a large pot (I used a 5 qt nonstick dutch oven), place 2 TBS olive oil and 4 cloves of minced garlic (I grate mine on a Microplane) while the pan is still cold. Turn the heat on to medium and allow the garlic to heat with the oil, to infuse it with flavor and not burn and turn bitter, about 5 minutes. When the garlic is golden but not burned, add the chopped bell pepper and mushrooms. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, to soften. Add the tomatoes, cherry peppers, and sherry, bring it to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to keep it bubbling but not boiling while you prepare the chicken.

In a large skillet, heat a little olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, when the pan is hot add the chicken and remaining garlic. Allow the chicken to get good and brown on both sides. This took about 15 minutes total for me. When the chicken is almost done, use a masher to break up the tomatoes in the sauce pot. Once the tomatoes are broken up, add the chicken to the pan. Use a splash of sherry to deglaze the skillet you prepped the chicken in. Add the deglazing liquid to the sauce. Put a large pot of water on to boil the rigatoni. While you are waiting for the water to boil, add the cream cheese and basil, stirring to fully incorporate the cream cheese. You could also use heavy cream, I chose cream cheese since the little grocery store I went to doesn't stock heavy cream. When the water is boiling, add 1 TBS of salt and the rigatoni to the water. Cook 1 minute less than the package tells you to. Continue stirring the sauce, making sure it is at a strong simmer, stir in the Parmesan cheese very well. When the noodles are done, drain them and toss them with the sauce in the pot. Serve with red pepper flakes and extra Parmesan.

I just love discovering regional dishes, local favorites, and I hope to visit many of the places I've read about and try the authentic versions myself. One of my favorites is the Moco Loco, which my husband ordered for breakfast in Maui at my brother-in-law's suggestion. It was so yummy and I've since made my own version at home. It's a bed of white rice, topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy. It sounds weird, but it is super yummy.

German Cabbage Rolls

Back in November, I posted my recipe for Cabbage Rolls. That recipe was the more traditional Hungarian style cabbage rolls most of us are used to, with a tomato-based sauce. They are fabulous, and I encourage you to try them out. Today I bring you my recipe for German style Cabbage Rolls. These cabbage rolls are my husband's favorite. They're meaty and hearty and scrumptious. Men seem to really appreciate these cabbage rolls, and I think the main reason is the sauce. I  place of a tomato sauce, these cabbage rolls are served topped with brown gravy. So yummy. These cabbage rolls are easy to make, super hearty, and they get better the next day. This recipe makes 12 large cabbage rolls. You can make them smaller to use more of the cabbage, or make more filling.

Ingredients:

1 large head of cabbage
2 TBS salt

Filling:

1/2 lb ground Beef
1/2 lb ground Pork
3 TBS bread crumbs
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 TBS German style mustard
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
pinch of Salt
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced or grated on a microplane
2 TBS Butter

Sauce:
Optional: splash of white wine
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup cold water
1 TBS cornstarch

Note: To cut back of fat, you can substitute all lean ground beef or even ground turkey for the ground beef and pork. There is a slight flavor difference, but it is still delicious and it's a way to eat "regular" food while losing weight or watching your cholesterol.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In the meantime, melt 1 TBS of butter in a large skillet, add diced onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until softened and lightly browned. Remove from heat. Wash cabbage and remove outermost leaves if they are loose. You can core the cabbage if you like, but it's not necessary. I like to because it helps the salt water flavor the cabbage and it seems to make the leaves easier to remove. As soon as the water boils, add the 2 TBS of salt. Gently add the cabbage and boil 15-20 minutes. Remove the cabbage, drain and allow to cool.

Once the cabbage is cool, mix all of the filling ingredients together. Remove the 12 outer leaves from the cabbage and begin filling. The demonstration photos I'm going to post now are from my last cabbage rolls recipe, but the folding method is the same.

Once all of the cabbage rolls are ready, heat 1 TBS of butter over medium heat in the large skillet you used to saute the onions. Place about half of the rolls in the skillet, seam side down. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, then flip and cook and additional 3 minutes. Remove to a platter and brown the remaining rolls in the same way. Optional: Remove rolls and deglaze the pan with a  splash of white wine. Add all of the rolls to the pan, pour in the beef broth. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Remove rolls from skillet, bump the heat up to medium-high, mix cornstarch and cold water together, add to the broth in the pan, stir constantly until thickened. This will only take a few minutes. Serve the rolls topped with gravy alongside mashed potatoes.

Christmas Movie Theme Nights: Frosty The Snowman

Sorry for the terrible pictures, all of them were taken with my iPhone. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this time of year. Christmas is such a special time of year for me. I have wonderful memories of family get-togethers, baking cookies and making fudge with my Mom, seeing Santa Claus on the Fire Truck every Christmas Eve, dancing the 12 Days of Christmas. My family had a lot of traditions growing up, these are just a few. I'm continuing several of them with my son, and adding some of our own.

One thing we started this year and we plan to continue is a Christmas movie theme night. Last Saturday was our first time, and we did Frosty the Snowman. My Hubbie got me a box set of animated Christmas classics last year, so that is what I will be using while my son is young. He LOVED Frosty. We started the day with Snowman shaped pancakes, which I didn't get pictures of, basically 3 different sized pancakes, cooked close together so they combined. Then we decorated them with chocolate chips. It was fun. That evening we had snowman-shaped white pizza for dinner and we enjoyed white hot chocolate during the movie. It was a lovely time, and all of us enjoyed it. It wasn't anything fancy, since I pulled most of it together last-minute with things I already had on hand. My snowman pizza is rather plain compared to those on Pinterest, but it was delicious.

I did get this picture on my cellphone of my son decorating a pancake for Daddy.

For the Snowman Pancakes I used my fabulous Cake Flour Pancakes recipe.
















For the Snowman Pizza:
I used half of the dough my recipe makes to make this snowman. It was barely enough for 3 people. I'd suggest making two or more if you have a larger family, or serve a soup or salad with it.

Per Snowman:
1/2 recipe of my Pizza Dough
1 cup of ricotta cheese
2 cloves of garlic, minced, or grated
2 cups of shredded mozzarella
Parmesan (optional)
black olives

Preheat the oven to 400.
Roll about 2/3 of the dough out into a 10 inch round
Roll the remaining dough into a 6 inch round.
Place them on a baking sheet so the bottom of the smaller round is touching the top of the larger round.
Mix the ricotta and garlic together, spread onto both rounds, leaving about 1/2 an inch of border. Top with mozzarella, I didn't measure, but I used quite a bit. Sprinkle with Parmesan, if you like. Slice olives in half and use them to create eyes, mouth and buttons. Bake 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly. Check at 12 minutes, and then every couple minutes after that.

Cabbage Rolls

These are so delicious and perfect for a chilly evening. This is the kind of meal my Mom would say "sticks to your ribs". Cabbage Rolls are simple food. They're made from easily found ingredients, and they're inexpensive. They do require a little bit of work, but it's actually not much. My favorite Cabbage Rolls are the Romanian kind, which are made with sour cabbage, but it is difficult to find anything that "exotic" in my small town. I plan to try to locate sour cabbage, or make my own so that I can make them and share them here. I also plan on making German Cabbage Rolls this winter and sharing them here.


Ingredients:
1 head of Cabbage
3 TBS Salt

Filling:
1 cup uncooked White Rice
1 lb Ground Beef (or turkey, pork, veal, etc)
1/2 an Onion, diced small
1 Carrot, grated
1 Garlic clove, grated or minced tiny
3 dashes of ground Cloves
1 TBS Paprika
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

Sauce:
1 28 oz can of tomato sauce
1 TBS Paprika
1 tsp Pepper
1 small can of Sauerkraut

Rinse cabbage and remove 4 outermost layers, set aside. Chop off the stem of the cabbage, and use a knife to remove the core. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, return to a boil, add cabbage. Reduce to medium-high heat and cook 10-15 minutes, until the leaves begin to separate.

While the cabbage is boiling, prepare the filling, chop the onion and garlic pretty small, so the filling isn't chunky. You want it to be homogenous. Just combine all of the ingrentients in a large bowl. I use my hands. If you're averse to touching raw meat, you can do it the hard way and, use a spoon.

When the cabbage is nice and tender, remove it from the water and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, carefully remove the leaves. I've found that using a pair of kitchen shears to cut the stem of the leaf helps to remove them without breaking them. ------------------->

Now, get yourself set up somewhere comfortable. I actually sit at my kitchen table to roll the cabbage rolls, since I usually make more than one batch. I know a lot of people have trouble folding the cabbage so the rolls don't fall apart, so I prepared a little photo tutorial. Please excuse my grody nail polish.

Hold the leaf in one hand and add a spoonful of filling to the center. Fold the bottom up, fold the side over, then fold the other side over, nice and snug but not too tight, since the rice will exand during cooking. Repeat. I get about 20 rolls from 1 head of lettuce and this amount of filling. If Ihave leftover filling, I just add it to th sauce. The rolls will be different sizes since the leaves get smaller as you work your way inward. It's no big deal. Look at all of these beautiful cabbage rolls, time to get them cooking!

Tear the outer layers that you set aside earlier into pieces. Put them in the bottom of the pot and cover with the sauerkraut. Put half of the cabbage rolls on top of the sauerfraut. Top that with half of the sauce. Add remaining cabbage rolls, top with the rest of the sauce. Add water until you see it on the sides of the rolls. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for two hours. I like to physically turn the pot a quarter turn every 20 minutes, so the cabbage leaves on the bottom don't burn. Make sure the liquid remains simmering, add more if it evaporates. After two hours, check for tenderness and enjoy.

 Cabbage rolls really don't have much going for them in the looks department, so it's a darn good thing they taste so good. They are hard to photograph in a flattering light, but don't let that keep you from trying them.

Mom's Recipes: Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This is one of the few meals that everyone in my family agrees on. My sisters can be picky eaters, but they will both eat multiple servings of this. My Mom often makes it when we are all coming over because it is quick, easy, and absolutely delicious. She layers everything instead of rolling the individual enchiladas because it is much faster and you get a lot more in one dish this way. Sometimes, I roll mine if I feel like it. If you layer, you can have it prepped and in the oven in 10 minutes. After her Chocolate Chip Cookies, this is her most requested dish to bring to potlucks.

Ingredients:

24 Corn Tortillas
Rotisserie Chicken (she buys them at Costco on the weekends and debones them then so weeknight meal prep is quick)
1 large can mild Las Palmas Red Enchilada Sauce (brand is important here)
1 large onion, chopped
Shredded Cheddar Cheese. (My Mom uses at least 4 cups in the recipe, if not more. She doesn't measure)

Remove chicken from bones. Discard skin and bones or save to make home-made chicken stock. Pre-heat oven to 350. If preparing all at once, spray a 3qt casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine, chicken, onion, about 2 cups of cheese and a ladelful of enchilada sauce.
Slice tortillas in half. Place a ladelful of enchilada sauce in bottom of casserole dish and spread around. Cover bottom of dish with tortillas. Spoon some of the chicken mixture on top. Repeat steps ending with a layer of cheese. I like to add a few extra ladels of sauce when I make them. She doesn't use the full can, which is why hers stay neater, like in the picture. It's all a matter of preference. Don't skimp on the cheese. Bake for 35-45 minutes. We like the cheese nice and brown n bubbly.

Deep Dish Pizza

Of everything I make, this is probably my husband's favorite meal. He is a pizza lover, and though he likes the thinner, more modestly dressed Italian-style pizzas, he much prefers the more Americanized, topping overload pizzas.

When I was a kid, we had family friends from Illinois, somewhere just outside of Chicago. The wife was a fabulous cook, and I use some of her recipes to this day. The husband's specialty was his Deep Dish Pizza. He was VERY particular about it. It was soooo good. He doesn't share his recipe, but this is pretty close. I've never been to Chicago, so I have no idea how it compares to pizza you would get there, but it's really good, and always a hit.

Ingredients:

1 ball of Pizza Dough. (This recipe makes 2 balls)
1 lb Italian Sausage
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 8oz package of mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
8 oz mozzarella, sliced
Fresh basil - optional

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Remove sausage casings if present. Brown and crumble in a large skillet. Remove to a plate. Saute onions and bell pepper in sausage drippings until softened but not mushy. Remove to plate with sausage. Saute mushrooms and red pepper flakes until liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove to plate. Add garlic, saute 1 minute, then add tomato sauce, oregano, and fennel. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Press pizza dough into bottom and halfway up the sides of the casserole dish. Layer toppings onto the dough, pour the sauce over them, top with the cheese and optional basil. Bake until crust is golden and cheese is bubble, about 20-25 minutes. Enjoy. This never lasts very long in our house.

I've been told that traditional deep dish pizza has the cheese on the bottom. Which is fine and dandy, I just like to put it on top so it helps hold the toppings toghether. But, to each his own.

Crock Pot: Porcupine Meatballs

This super-simple, but fabulous recipe came from the mother of a friend of my Mom's. My Mom first had it at their house nearly 40 years ago; but the lady has been making it for longer than that. Her children made it for their kids growing up; and I know a few of her grandchildren make it for their kids. My Mom made this every few months and it was one of the few recipes every one of us loved. (My sisters can be picky eaters). It is so simple; it's really a last minute "throw together" type of meal. I think it was usually made on nights when we all had soccer practice or other things going on. My Mom usually made double this amount for the 6 of us to make sure there was enough for whoever we might bring home with us or leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1 cup instant rice (instant brown rice works too)
1 tsp black pepper
a few dashes of salt
Condensed tomato soup - 3 of the regular sized cans, undiluted.

Combine the meat, rice, and spices; roll into golf ball sized meat balls. I get a dozen meatballs per pound of meat. Place in crock pot, pour undiluted tomato soup over them. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. If you're home, gently stir them every so often.

Serve with a vegetable, my 1 Hour Dinner Rolls, and a side salad and you've got a delicious plate of comfort food.

German-style Pork Chops

My Hubbie thought these were amazing!

Ever since I visited Germany as a teenager, I have loved their culture and food. Since returning, I have made it my goal to re-create the delicious meals I enjoyed there. This recipe is in no way authentic, but it uses German flavors to create a delicious, no-fuss dinner.

Growning up, we ate Shake N Bake pork chops on a pretty regular basis. I loved them, and still enjoy them when my Mom prepares them. I don't purchase many convenience foods, but love the simplicity that this method offers, so I use this crumb mixture. It's great on pork or chicken.

I think the German mustard really makes this dish, its robust flavors pair well with the richness of pork.

Ingredients

4 pork chops
2 tablespoons German-style mustard
Crumb Coating Mixture:

•  2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs                    
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 2 tablespoons crumbled dried parsley

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease or coat with cooking spray. Brush pork chops on both sides with German-style mustard. Combine Crumb Coating ingredients in a bag, add chops and shake until coated, one at a time. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, ensure that pork is fully cooked before serving.

Family Dinner

When I was growing up, we almost always ate dinner together. Every night, whether Mom made a big meal or we picked up fast food, all six of us sat down at the dining table. Most of our friends who visited found this to be rather odd. "You mean you do this every night?" Most of the time. We always talked over dinner and discussed our day. Looking back, it was really special. My Mom would take turns asking each person how there day was, one of my friends who came for dinner at least once a week told me "your mom knows me better than my own mom". It was probably true. Most nights of the week my cousin or a friend or two joined us for dinner. My Mom still hasn't learned how to cook for less than 8 people. Everyone was always welcome at our table.

Now, before I make us sound too much like a made for TV family, let me say, we didn't always get along, not everyone was always happy to be there. That happens with four kids. Whoever was mad or on restriction would want to stay in their room during dinner. The rule was even if you weren't eating or on speaking terms with the rest of the family, you had to come sit at the table. Except for a few extreme times, everyone usually ended up at the table together. Of course there were nights where someone had practice, or was out with friends. Our talks were usually happy and lighthearted, but sometimes not. We weren't a perfect family, but we spent time together, eating a meal, talking, and sometimes, arguing.

Though my son isn't talking much yet, I still want to carry that tradition on with him. It's so easy to eat in front of the TV, not talking. We've done it, more times than I like. For the last few months, we've made an effort to turn off the TV, sit around the table, say a prayer together, and talk over dinner. I think it makes a big difference.

Anyone who doesn't already do so, I would encourage you to try this, even if you only do it once a week. It could be breakfast if everyone isn't home around dinner time. My parents managed to have family dinners with four teenagers on four different crazy schedules. I've heard statistics that say children who have family dinners do better in school,are less likely to get into drugs; I don't know how true they are, but it couldn't hurt.

The meals don't have to be elaborate, my Mom makes fabulous food that is very simple. She knows what works. I've shared her Goulash recipe here before. In coming weeks, I'll try to share more of her meals.

Retro Recipes

I have always been infatuated with the 50's and 60's. I love the TV shows, movies, clothes, etc. Since I have always loved to cook, it's only natural that I would eventually start tryig recipes that were popular during that era. Some of my inspirations came from TV shows, some from my parents talking about what their Mothers cooked back then. I was also given a copy of a family cookbook I put together for a woman when I was working in a print shop. It has many recipes from her mother, grandmother, aunts, and church ladies. It is a true treasure. One of my grandmothers was a fabulous cook, and though I learned a lot from watching her, the only recipe of hers I have is for her famous Clover Yeast Rolls. My mom has the actual hand-written recipe, on a yellowed index card with years of smudges, I hope to talk her into letting me frame it to hang in my kitchen.

I've always loved looking through my Mom's old Betty Crocker Cookbooks and I recently came across a stash of food ads from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. Crazy stuff. My Dad remembers his Mom preparing a few of these things. We both agreed that most were too weird to even be considered, Tuna and Cottage Cheese Jello Mold, anyone? I've made two already, and when I searched the internet I found the blog of a woman who attempts many retro recipes. I had saved these recipes to make "eventually", but her reviews convinced me to go ahead and try them. You can find her blog at http://retrorecipe.wordpress.com/.  I hope to make more of these recipes (if I think I can stomach them), and share the results here. Both recipes were very good. My husband really enjoyed both meals. I didn't have canned biscuits when I made the Western Ranch Dinner; so I just used my regular recipe, and it was delicious.

So far I have made :

I forgot to take pictures of the Western Ranch Dinner, but I did get a picture of the Dude Ranch Beans. My 19 month old son really enjoyed them and even went back for seconds on his own. I didn't have baked beans, so I used a can of black beans and added some BBQ sauce, ketchup, a little pepper and chili powder. With all of the substitutions I make I guess what I have been making are technically "Retro-Inspired" recipes; since I don't normally purchase convenience foods, which is what most of these recipes call for. I didn't want to waste time threading the skewers either, so I just tossed everything on top of the beans prior to baking.