Salisbury Steak

June 9, 2011 by

Not made too often anymore, but still a classic. Reacquaint yourself with it or try it for the first time. You won’t be disappointed.

1- 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 lightly beaten egg white
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup saltine cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
12+oz. jar beef gravy
1-2 cups sliced mushrooms

Hot cooked egg noodles

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine beef, egg, onion, crumbs, milk, horseradish, salt & pepper. Shape into 4-6 oval patties and place in skillet.

Fry over medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes, turn, fry 10-12 minutes more. Add gravy, gently scrape and stir up browned bits; add mushrooms and heat for about 5 more minutes. Serve over hot cooked noodles.

Filed Under: Beef, Frontpage Tagged With:

Carrot Cake

May 29, 2011 by

Everyone must have one of these in their recipe collection.  Here is my simplified version – it uses jars of baby food instead of shredded carrots and applesauce instead of all that oil.  The topping is swirled in, then baked.

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola)
4 oz. applesauce
4 of the 4 oz. jars baby food (OR 2 8 oz. jars)
4 eggs
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder

Topping:
12 oz. room temperature cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. flour
1-2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Into a large bowl, place the sugar, oil, applesauce, baby food, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla, blending/mixing well.  Add all the dry ingredients and blend in well.  Pour into the pan then begin making the topping.

Place all the topping ingredients into a bowl and with an electric mixer, cream them all together.  Gently place “plops” of this on top of the batter, then sprinkle with some cinnamon then gently swirl it all in.  Bake for about 40-50 minutes – you gotta check with a knife inserted near the middle to make sure it’s done – then cool on a rack for about 2 hours, then place in the fridge for at least 2 more hours until you cut and serve.

Filed Under: Desserts, Frontpage

Slushies

May 26, 2011 by

Your kids will love making these treats at home. Make one for yourself too, they’re that good!

This recipe makes one 32-ounce drink:
2 cups club soda – cold!
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 tsp. + 1 good pinch cherry-flavored unsweetened Kool-Aid
1/2 tsp. cherry extract – (baking section of grocery store)
Crushed ice

Using a blender, put 1 cup of the club soda in. Add sugar, Kool-Aid and cherry extract. Blend this until all the sugar is dissolved – will take about 1 minute. Add the crushed ice and blend on high until it becomes a smooth, slushy consistency but there are no chunks of ice left. Add the rest of the club soda and blend this very briefly, just until mixed. Stopping the blender to mix will probably be a good idea at this point, so you can stir up the contents from the bottom of blender.

Filed Under: Beverages, Frontpage, Soups & Stews Tagged With:

Ranch Dressing

May 17, 2011 by

My all time favorite dressing is ranch but store-bought has MSG in it and that’s a no-no in our house. Try my homemade version.

1 cup mayo
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. Accent Seasoned Salt- MSG free!
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. (or a good pinch) of dried thyme

Place all these ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth & creamy. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours. Serve.

Filed Under: Dips, Frontpage, Salads

Oven Eggs

May 5, 2011 by

img_0215.jpgA truly great meal. Serve with good, thick toast, obviously the bacon, or perhaps heat up some sausage – improvise and eat! My mother likes fried bologna – whatever you like. This recipe is very forgiving and very versatile. Throw in the leftovers in your fridge – it’ll work!

1 lb. bacon or less – try to use at least 4 pieces
1 medium diced onion
1/2 diced green pepper or red pepper or a bit of both
1 med-small bunch fresh broccoli
1 heaping tsp. minced garlic
About 8 eggs – can go up to 10 or 12

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Using an oven proof pan – such as a cast iron – cook the bacon till the fat has rendered and it’s crispy. Drain the bacon and either chop to use in this dish, or keep for alongside. If you don’t have enough grease in the pan to saute the veggies, then add about 2 Tbsp. butter.

Add the veggies you are using, sprinkle with salt & pepper and saute for about 5 minutes; add the garlic for 1 minute longer. Crack open the eggs over the pan and plop around in a decorative pattern, or just in a circle.

Place in the oven for about 5+ minutes – until eggs are set. Then dig in!

Filed Under: Breakfast / Brunch, Frontpage, Something Different

Barbecued Chicken Meatloaf

April 15, 2011 by

Ground chicken combined with BBQ sauce and made into a loaf is really good. It worked out very well and when it was cold made for delicious sandwiches the next day.

2 pounds ground chicken
1/2 cup barbecue sauce + you’ll use another 1/4 cup later
3/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. dried, minced onion
2 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and have ready either a loaf or other pan you will be using. Into a large bowl empty all the ingredients (reserving the 1/4 cup sauce till later) and mix gently but well. It will be moist, but don’t worry. Place it in the pan and mound it like a loaf. Bake for 45 minutes, then spread the rest of the BBQ sauce all over the top of the loaf and cook for about 30 minutes longer, or until done. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Filed Under: Chicken, Frontpage

Iced Tea

April 12, 2011 by

You can use decaffeinated or regular tea bags for this recipe. It makes 2 quarts, but double it for a gallon.

4 back tea, tea bags (I like Tetley’s British Blend)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 quarts boiling water
3 oz. lemonade concentrate – from the frozen can

Put the tea bags and the sugar into a 2 quart container. Fill this with the boiling water, stir and let this steep at room temperature for no less than 2 hours. Remove the tea bags and throw them away. Stir in the lemonade. Refrigerate for a couple of hours and serve. Really good made into ice cubes, too.

Filed Under: Beverages, Frontpage

Lemony-Garlic Chicken

April 6, 2011 by

Delicious fresh from the oven and just as delicious served cold.

8-12 pieces chicken, bone-in, skin on (whatever pieces you want)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 head garlic, separated, peeled & sliced
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. dried tarragon
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 lemons, sliced very thinly
2 Tbsp. coarse salt

Into a bowl large enough to hold all the chicken pieces, place the rinsed and patted dry chicken. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk/mix together all the other ingredients up to the salt then pour over the chicken and carefully mix and incorporate all around the chicken pieces. Cover and place in the fridge for four hours or overnight.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and take the bowl out of the fridge. Get 1 or 2 rimmed sheet pans ready with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Drain the chicken and place the pieces on the sheet pans and sprinkle each pan of chicken with 1 Tbsp. of the salt. Let sit for 30 minutes while oven preheats.

Cook for about 45 minutes or until done, alternating pans half way during cooking time. Serve fresh from the oven or cool, refrigerate and serve cold.

Filed Under: Chicken, Frontpage Tagged With: , , ,

Spanish Rice & Beans – II

April 3, 2011 by

This recipe is a gift from my sister Sandy. She’s been making this in some form for years. Sometimes she adds 2-3 cut-up hot dogs. It’s so good that I make it about 3 times a month. Plus, it goes as a side with just about any kind of meat. Kids love it. There’s another version with the ingredients all mixed together and cooked in 1 pot – Orange Rice. Try that one too.

2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Heaping tsp. minced garlic
1 Packet Goya Sazon
3 Heaping Tbsp. Goya Sofrito
1 Can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 Can (14 oz.) Goya beans – Pinto, Kidney, Red, Roman- you pick
2 Cans (14.5 oz) beef broth
1/2 Cup green olives with juice – (this is optional, but tasty)
2- 3 medium sized potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks
Goya Rice

In a medium sized pot, pour in the olive oil; when it’s hot, add the minced garlic and sizzle for a minute.
Empty in packet of Sazon, then Sofrito and stir until sizzling. Add in everything else and stir to combine.Cook on med-high heat until potatoes are done – about 30 minutes. Do not cover. Stir occasionally. This will thicken up because of the potato. However, sometimes it’s just not thickened enough. In that case get your box of cornstarch out and read the side for instructions on thickening. I follow those instructions and slowly stir mixture into the sauce at the end of cooking time, then cook for 1 minute.

Meanwhile, make your white rice on the side, the ratio being 6 cups water to 3 cups rice. Check out my White Rice Recipe under Categories. When both sauce & rice are done, place rice in individual bowls and ladle sauce on top.

Filed Under: Frontpage, Rice, Sauces, Something Different

Green Bean Casserole

March 18, 2011 by

I still love this classic.

4 cans green beans, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/3 cup fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix beans, soup, milk, and 2/3 cup of the fried onions. Empty into a casserole dish and bake for 25 minutes. Top wtih the remaining fried onions and bake 5 more minutes.

Filed Under: Frontpage, Vegetables
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