Well, Homecoming is over and the Austrian visitors have all gone home. Time to start cooking again! I have a few things planned for this week. I bought short ribs (beef) at Costco and will make Beef Au Carrots, a french recipe. I also found some tortelini on sale at Costco and will serve that with alfredo sauce and marinara (everyone can choose) and broccoli (on sale at Raleys). I took a whole chicken out of the freezer and a ham hock. I will make baked chicken with rice and artichokes(on sale at Raleys) and chicken soup as well as ham and beans.
Ham and beans is really easy. Buy a bag of dry great northern beans and rinse them. Put them in your crock pot with a cup each of chopped carrots, onions, and celery. Add a ham hock, pepper, bay leaf, and sage. Fill up with water and set on low for the day. When you get home you can cut the meat off of the ham hock and put it in the soup. Then make some cornbread and you have a great cold night meal! You can get a ham hock at the grocery store if you don't raise pigs.
Beef au Carrots is a bit more complicated and takes a lot of time - it is well worth it! It's great to make on a rainy Sunday when you can be home for most of the day. It will make your home smell like heaven!
You will need:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 pounds beef short ribs
2 cups dry red wine
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds carrots cut into big chunks
Use a big frying pan with a lid. Saute onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute until the onions are translucent. Remove from pan and set aside. Add 2 more tablespoonsof olive oil and put in short ribs. Cook long enough to brown ribs on all sides. You should have a nice medium high heat. After meat is browned, remove from pan and set aside. Pour in 1 cup of dry red wine and deglaze pan. (This means scrape all of the chunks off of the sides and bottom of pan). After deglazing, add thyme sprigs, bay leaf, salt and pepper and another cup of wine. Add meat and onion mix back to pan with all juices. Cover and heat on low for 1 hour. After 1 hour add carrots and cook for 1 and 1/2 to 2 more hours.
Enjoy your week!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Homecoming Week!
Well, if you don't know - it's Homecoming Week at my school and I am the activities director. This means that I won't be doing much cooking! I picked up a Fettucini Alfredo at Costco, I'll be making grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, those yummy chicken pesto sandwiches and probably bbq ribs on the one night that I will be home all week. Next week I will be in San Francisco with our Austrian exchange students, so I will probably not post anything new for a week or two. There are enough old posts to get you through. I'm thinking that when I get back it will be time for some cool weather recipes!!!!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Chicken Soup!
After I posted yesterday, I realized that I left out a good part! What are you going to do with that chicken carcass after you've made either chicken enchiladas or baked chicken? How about some good old fashioned chicken soup?! It's not as hard as it sounds. Just take as much skin and fat off of the carcass as possible, put it in a large pot and cover with water. Put it on high to boil. While it is heating, chop an onion and throw it in the water along with some black pepper and a whole bay leaf. Don't clean up the knife and cutting board yet. Now a very important part: chicken boullion. I used to use those cubes, but Costco has a wonderful product called Better Than Boullion. It's in the spices section and it comes in a short glass jar. They have chicken and beef. I always have both in my fridge and an extra in the pantry. So, take a couple of tablespoons of this wonderfull boullion and add it to your soup pot. Once the water boils, turn it down to low or simmer and put the lid on. Simmer it for at least 2 or 3 hours. Meanwhile, chop up some carrots and celery so they are ready to go in the pot later. When you are close to eating time, you will want to take the bay leaf and the carcass out of the water . It will be in many pieces by now, so really fish around for all of the bones. All of the meat probably will fall off the bones by now so there is not much to do to the bones but throw them away. If you don't think that there is enough chicken in the soup, hopefully you had leftover meat from the chicken dinner and you can throw some in the pot. While you are doing this, make your noodles or rice and add the carrots and celery to the pot and turn up the heat. You want it boling again until the veggies are soft. After the veggies are soft, add the noodles or rice and enjoy!
There are many variations to this recipe, so go for it! Add different or more veggies, and fun pasta - whatever you think would be good! Also, this soup freezes well so if you want to prepare for your next cold evening or sick day in bed just freeze some!
There are many variations to this recipe, so go for it! Add different or more veggies, and fun pasta - whatever you think would be good! Also, this soup freezes well so if you want to prepare for your next cold evening or sick day in bed just freeze some!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
More Good Ideas!
Well, it's Saturday and I am looking at the Raley's ad. Lots of good stuff on sale this week and the e-coupons are good too! My plan for the week is to make homemade tuna casserole, chicken enchiladas, chuckwagon casserole, and a chicken and rice meal. My husband is hunting, so the kids always ask for casseroles when he is gone - he hates them!
The tuna casserole is really simple. Just boil a bag of noodles - any shape you'd like - and while they are cooking mix together: One can cream of mushroom soup, one can cream of chicken soup, one or two cans of white albacore tuna, a small bag of fozen peas, salt and pepper, and some milk to thin it out just a little. When the noodles are done mix them into the soup mixture and put it all in a casserole dish. You can top it with potato chips, bread crumbs, crushed Ritz crackers, or nothing at all. Bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees. If you didn't top it with anything, you should bake it covered unless you like it a bit crispy. Serve with a salad and some dinenr rolls and you've got a great dinner and even better leftovers!
The chuckwagon casserole is fun too. Brown 1 pound of ground beef with some chopped onions and bell pepper, drain and add one can of chili and 1/4 cup of bbq sauce. Mix it all together and put in the pan. Then mix up some cornbread mix (the small Jiffy box is a good size for a small casserole) and add a can of corn - drained - that mix. Spread it on top of the chili mix and bake for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Be sure to pick a pan big enough so it doesn't overflow while baking, but small enough to spread the corn bread mix over the whole thing.
Raley's has whole chickens on sale for .77 a pound and I have a plan for two of them this week. One night I will serve baked chicken with Rice a Roni (also on sale at Raley's for .99 this week) and artichokes (on sale for .97 each!). I like to bake chicken with a few pieces of onion and lemon on the inside and with pepper and garlic powder on the outside. I usually bake a whole chicken for about one and a half hours.
The other chicken I will put in a crock pot on low for the day and make chicken enchiladas. This is easier than it sounds. After the chicken has cooked with pepper, oregano, and garlic all day I can use it right away, or put it inthe fridge for another day this week. I take all of the meat off of the bone and set it aside. I chop a large onion and saute it in some olive oil. Then I add the chicken and a bit of chicken broth. Next I will dip my tortillas into enchillada sauce, add some chicken and cheese, roll it up and put it in a pan. After I am finished with the tortillas I need I will pour some enchillada sauce over all of them and cover with cheese. I cover the pan with foil (mine doesn't have a lid, but a lid would be better) and bake for about 30 minutes and then uncover for about 10 minutes. A couple of tricks: when covering a dish with foil, spray the foil with Pam on the underside first! This way it won't stick to your food and rip allof the yummy cheese off. When using corn tortillas for enchilladas, you will need to heat them first so that they don't break when you roll them. I just put them on the burner like a flour tortilla, but you can do it in a pan too.
Raley's also has tri tip on sale for $2.77 this week. I'm going to get a few for the freezer!
The tuna casserole is really simple. Just boil a bag of noodles - any shape you'd like - and while they are cooking mix together: One can cream of mushroom soup, one can cream of chicken soup, one or two cans of white albacore tuna, a small bag of fozen peas, salt and pepper, and some milk to thin it out just a little. When the noodles are done mix them into the soup mixture and put it all in a casserole dish. You can top it with potato chips, bread crumbs, crushed Ritz crackers, or nothing at all. Bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees. If you didn't top it with anything, you should bake it covered unless you like it a bit crispy. Serve with a salad and some dinenr rolls and you've got a great dinner and even better leftovers!
The chuckwagon casserole is fun too. Brown 1 pound of ground beef with some chopped onions and bell pepper, drain and add one can of chili and 1/4 cup of bbq sauce. Mix it all together and put in the pan. Then mix up some cornbread mix (the small Jiffy box is a good size for a small casserole) and add a can of corn - drained - that mix. Spread it on top of the chili mix and bake for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Be sure to pick a pan big enough so it doesn't overflow while baking, but small enough to spread the corn bread mix over the whole thing.
Raley's has whole chickens on sale for .77 a pound and I have a plan for two of them this week. One night I will serve baked chicken with Rice a Roni (also on sale at Raley's for .99 this week) and artichokes (on sale for .97 each!). I like to bake chicken with a few pieces of onion and lemon on the inside and with pepper and garlic powder on the outside. I usually bake a whole chicken for about one and a half hours.
The other chicken I will put in a crock pot on low for the day and make chicken enchiladas. This is easier than it sounds. After the chicken has cooked with pepper, oregano, and garlic all day I can use it right away, or put it inthe fridge for another day this week. I take all of the meat off of the bone and set it aside. I chop a large onion and saute it in some olive oil. Then I add the chicken and a bit of chicken broth. Next I will dip my tortillas into enchillada sauce, add some chicken and cheese, roll it up and put it in a pan. After I am finished with the tortillas I need I will pour some enchillada sauce over all of them and cover with cheese. I cover the pan with foil (mine doesn't have a lid, but a lid would be better) and bake for about 30 minutes and then uncover for about 10 minutes. A couple of tricks: when covering a dish with foil, spray the foil with Pam on the underside first! This way it won't stick to your food and rip allof the yummy cheese off. When using corn tortillas for enchilladas, you will need to heat them first so that they don't break when you roll them. I just put them on the burner like a flour tortilla, but you can do it in a pan too.
Raley's also has tri tip on sale for $2.77 this week. I'm going to get a few for the freezer!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Something Simple, Like a Sandwich......
Thanks to my friend Karrie for the suggestion of this week's blog topic! What am I gonna do for dinner? Well, how about something simple, like a sandwich. We all have those nights where the thought of making a big dinner is overwhelming, so keep it simple. Here are a few simple sandwiches to get you through those kind of nights.
1. BBQ Chicken sandwiches - plan a night of bbq boneless chicken breasts or thighs, watch the grocery ads for sales or get them at Costco in the frozen section. Cook more than you will need for one dinner and freeze the rest. When you need a quick dinner, unthaw them and shred the meat, add more bbq sauce and heat. Slap it on a roll and call it dinner! If you want to be fancy, saute some onions and bell peppers to put on top and/or butter your sandwich roll and broil it for a couple of minutes in the oven.
2. Classic BLT. Make extra bacon the next time you are cooking it and make BLT's one night that week for dinner! You can get fancy here too by adding avocado and/or onion!
3. Tuna with a special kick. I make bread and butter pickles every summer and my favorite thing to make with them is tuna salad. I put lots of onions in the pickle jars, so when I make my tuna I add the diced pickles and onions as well as some diced celery and/or cucumber. Add some mayo and put it on your favorite bread. Another version of this is a tuna melt. Put the tuna on a toasted english muffin, cover with a slice of cheese and bake for a few minutes. I like to put a slice of tomato on mine too after baking.
4. Pesto Chicken Sandwich - I posted this earlier, but my family loved it! Slice a baguette in half long ways and spread pesto over it. Top with cooked chicken breast pieces (Costco has a great deal on these) and mozarella cheese. Bake in the oven for a few minutes. Tomato is good on top of these too!
5. Tri Tip Sandwiches - next time you bbq tri tip, make an extra one. A couple of days later, slice it thin and put it on a sandwich roll. I like it with sauted oniolns and bell pepper and I also make au jus to dip the sandwich in. The butter on the roll trick is good here too. I noticed that many restaurants do this for french dip sandwiches.
So what do you serve with these yummy sandwiches? French fries are always good, here is a fun way to do them homemade. I cut up yukon gold or red potatoes into wedges and put them in a large ziplock bag. I pour some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in also seal the bag and shake it up. The oil and seasonings coat the potatoes nicely. Put the on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. You can get them crispy or not, whatever you like. I usually turn the potates once or twice during the 30 minutes - if I remember!
Hope you enjoy these ideas!
1. BBQ Chicken sandwiches - plan a night of bbq boneless chicken breasts or thighs, watch the grocery ads for sales or get them at Costco in the frozen section. Cook more than you will need for one dinner and freeze the rest. When you need a quick dinner, unthaw them and shred the meat, add more bbq sauce and heat. Slap it on a roll and call it dinner! If you want to be fancy, saute some onions and bell peppers to put on top and/or butter your sandwich roll and broil it for a couple of minutes in the oven.
2. Classic BLT. Make extra bacon the next time you are cooking it and make BLT's one night that week for dinner! You can get fancy here too by adding avocado and/or onion!
3. Tuna with a special kick. I make bread and butter pickles every summer and my favorite thing to make with them is tuna salad. I put lots of onions in the pickle jars, so when I make my tuna I add the diced pickles and onions as well as some diced celery and/or cucumber. Add some mayo and put it on your favorite bread. Another version of this is a tuna melt. Put the tuna on a toasted english muffin, cover with a slice of cheese and bake for a few minutes. I like to put a slice of tomato on mine too after baking.
4. Pesto Chicken Sandwich - I posted this earlier, but my family loved it! Slice a baguette in half long ways and spread pesto over it. Top with cooked chicken breast pieces (Costco has a great deal on these) and mozarella cheese. Bake in the oven for a few minutes. Tomato is good on top of these too!
5. Tri Tip Sandwiches - next time you bbq tri tip, make an extra one. A couple of days later, slice it thin and put it on a sandwich roll. I like it with sauted oniolns and bell pepper and I also make au jus to dip the sandwich in. The butter on the roll trick is good here too. I noticed that many restaurants do this for french dip sandwiches.
So what do you serve with these yummy sandwiches? French fries are always good, here is a fun way to do them homemade. I cut up yukon gold or red potatoes into wedges and put them in a large ziplock bag. I pour some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in also seal the bag and shake it up. The oil and seasonings coat the potatoes nicely. Put the on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. You can get them crispy or not, whatever you like. I usually turn the potates once or twice during the 30 minutes - if I remember!
Hope you enjoy these ideas!
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