Italian Beef Sandwiches

3 lb top round roast

1 envelope dry onion soup
1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano
1 crushed galic clove
1 t crushed red pepper
3/4 cup dark beer

Add the roast to a crockpot small enough that it fits snugly in with not a lot of room around it. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Remove the roast frm the pot. Turn the pot up to high so the sauce will thicken and reduce. Shred the beef and add back to the juices.

Serve on italian rolls with cheese, hot peppers or BBQ sauce.
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This was a keeper for both Pete and I. He's not much for shredded meat, but loves the flavor of this.

Thai Honey Peanut Chicken

1 lb chicken cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup pea pods
1 cup sliced red bell pepper

1/4 cup soy sauce
2T honey
1T lime juice
1t crushed garlic
1T peanutbutter
1 1/2t curry powder
1T sircha (asian hot pepper sauce)

Combine the group of ingredients and marinate the chicken for 3-4 hours. Remove the chicken from the marinade and set aside.

In a large skillet on medium high heat, bown the chicken on each side for 1 minute in 1 tablespoon oil. Add the pea pods, peppers and the reserved marinade. Cook uncovered for 7=8 minutes. Serve with rice.
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This was a keeper for me and a so so for Pete. I think that if I made it again I'd double the amount of soy. I'd also cut the cicken into thin strips instead od chunks. It seemed to be too much chicken versus the amount of sauce.

I figured out that I search for recipes and make them and never really track the successful ones. This is as good a place as any, right?

Chicken Pot Pies

1 2/3 cup flour
8 oz cold cream cheese
1/3 cup butter, cold
1T celery seed

Mix well in a bowl with pastry cutter or in a food processor until it forms a ball. Set aside

In a large skillet,
1/3 cup butter
2 t minced garlic
1 minced shallot
1 t poultry seasoning
1/2 t sage

stir together until fragrant. Add

1/3 cup flour and with a large wisk, cook for about 2 minutes. Add

1 cup milk, wisking so lumps don't form.
3/4 cup chicken stock

Cook on medium high heat, until thickened. Add

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1-2 cups frozen veggies (peas, corn, beans, carrots, potatoes)

Mix well and set aside to cool.

Section the crust into 6th's. Roll out each section to a circle larger than one of the small pie pans from the grocery store. Put a bottom in and them heaping the filling in. Then a op on and seal the edged by folding under and crimping.

Bake on a cookie sheet at 425 for 25 minutes.

I love these. The crust is wonderful. I make the 3 pies. We each have one for dinner. Then I take the thrid to work the next day and heat it up in the toaster oven It's prefect the second day also.

Baked Ham Dinner

The first thing that I did was make Suzanne's Sandwich Bread . It was the first time that I've ever made bread that wasn't froma box and/or in my bread machine. And it came out wonderfully! I'm not very good at shaping the loaves so I had an air bubble in one of them. But it really is good bread.

Then I took the half ham and covered it was applce cider and some pineapple tidbits and juice and put it in the oven to bake.

Macaroni & Cheese

2 cups small shells, cooked & drained
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onion
1 galic clove, minced.

Heat the butter in a large pot and add the onion & galic. Cook until fragrant. Add in

2 tablespoons flour and cook for 5 minutes, amking sure all the flour is absorbed and the mixture is hot and slightly browned.

Add in 1 1/2 cups milk slowly, wisking well. Cook on high heat until thickened. Add in

2 cups chredded cheese. I used monterey jack and white cheddar.

Add the cooked noodles and stir well. Pour into greased casserole dish. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.


The dinner was a success. Pete did not like the mac & sheese though. I made a recipe last fall for a birthday and he loved that one, but I can't find it again. So I'm back to the drawing board for another recipe.

Pizza & Wings

1 package chicken wings. Cut the wings apart into separate pices.

! bottle franks hot sauce

Toss wings into the hot sauce and marinate for 3-4 hours. Remove and place on baking sheet lined with foil. Bake at 500 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until crispy. Remove to a bowl and toss in more hot sauce. Serve with blue chese dip.

Pizza Loaf

1 roll of pizza doug fom the refridgerated section
1 jar of pizza sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 minced shallot
1 cup diced green pepper
1/2 lb jimmy dean sausage, cooked and crumbled
1/2 package pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll out the dough to 10x15. Layer the pepperoni on 1/2 the dough, keeing about 1/2 inch edge clear. Mix 3/4 of the jar sauce with the garlic, shallot and peppers. Spread that on top of the pepperoni. Spread on the sausage and then cheese. Flip the cleared half of the dough over onto the ingredients. Seal the edges by rolling them over and pinching them together. Brush the top with oil and a little salt. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the top is nice and browned. Cool for 5 minutes, slice and serve.

The wings were a hit. I got them half off and couldn't resist having wings and pizza like we were going out to a restaurant. I forgot to slipt them though and they didn't get as crispy as I would have liked.

The pizza loaf was real hit. I would have used green olives and onions, but Pete doesn't like those. It was good heated up directly on the pizza stone in the oven the next day. I think next time I'll split it in half and put ingredients in for Pete and then for me in the other one.

German Dinner

1 1/2 lbs new red potatoes, quartered
1 kilbasa, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 large can saurkraut

Put the potatoes in the bottom of a crock pot. Season well with salt, pepper and some red pepper flakes. Add the kilbasa over the top. Then spread out the can of saurkraut on top, juices and everything. Season well again with salt & plenty of pepper. Cook on low heat for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4.

As a kid, my mom would make this with porkchops and bake it in the oven for an hour or so. I didn't like it as much because unless you cook it correctly, the porkchops ended up tough and chewy. So when she'd made it, my Dad and I would eat something else.

When I met Pete, he introduced me to German food again and I remembed my Mom making this. So I tried it. We still make it with porkchops occasionaly, but when we do, we make sure that there is enough juice that the pork is covered. Usually though we make it with kilbasa or better yet, brats.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic

Heat 1 tablesppon of oil in a large frying pan and saute the ingredients until they're fragrant.

Add 1 can diced chili ready tomatoes ( or 1 can diced tomatoes & 1 can diced chilies)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock and
a package of low sodium enchilada dry seasoning mix

Let this come to a boil.
Then add 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Bury them in the mixture so they're covered. Cover the pan and lower to a simmer. Simmer for 40 minutes. Take the chicken out and put it on a plate to cool slightly. Keep the cover off the pan and raise teh heat to a low boil again so the juices can condense. Shred the chicken and return to the pan.

In another pan lightly heat about 3 tablespoons oil.

You'll need 10 flour tortilla shells
2 cups of shredded cheese
the chicken mixture from above
and a baking dish.
Spray the baking dish so that the enchiladas don't stick.
Open a can of enchilada sauce and pur a small amount in the bottom of the dish to coat.

Set up an assembly line to do the following:
Heat each shell in the oil until warmed through and plyable.
Place it on a plate and put about 1/4 cup chicken mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese in and roll up tightly.
Place it in the pan and continue until all the shells are used.
Pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce over to coat.
Put another cup of shredded cheese over the top.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until it's hot & bubbling.

I know that it sounds like a lot and hard to do. Honestly it was difficult the first time. But I've been making these for so long that they're easy now. If it was just me, I'd add black olives and minced green onions to the chicken mixture, but Pete doesn't like them. They heat up well the next day for left overs. And sometimes I have more chicken mixture than shells and I freeze the leftovers. When I need a quick lunch I heat it up and eat it with corn chips or just put it in a shell and microwave it.

Spicy Beef Sandwiches

1 lb thick sliced real roast beef from the deli
2 cups low sodium beef stock
2 tablespoons worschestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dired onions (or 1/4 mined fresh onion)
1 teaspoon garlic (or 1 minced garlic clove)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 sliced pepperocinis

Mix everything but the beef together in a sauce pan. Layer in the beef and simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes take the beef out and put on plate. Mix 1/4 cup cold water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch well. Add to the liquid in the pan, stirring, until slightly thickened. Add beef back in. I served this with crusty garlic bread as sandwiches. It would have been good with cheese on and next time I

Bavarian Style Apple Torte

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar

Cream the butter & sugar together. Add the vanilla and mix in the flour. Press into a 9 inch spring form pan.

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cream cheese and the sugar. Add eggs one at a time and then vanilla. Pour over crust in pan.

3 cups apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

Mix well and pour evenly over the filling. Bake at 350 for about 55 minutes, or until filling is set.

This was a HUGE hit. Pete decided that it was almost the same as his mother's apple torte. And he's requested it again. We had a nice Sunday dinner of roasted chicken, potatoes and bread. I also had roasted carrots & butternut squash.

Pumpkin Bread

15 ounce can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
3 1/2 cups flour
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 t nutmeg
1 t cloves
1/2 t ginger

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 3 small pans or 2 regular pans.

In large bowl mix together the eggs and sugar until light yellow. Add the pumpkin, sour cream & milk and mix well. Add the oil and mix well. Mix in the soda and salt. Then the spices. Add the flour one cup at a time, only mixing until just blended.

Pour into pans. Cook the smaller pans for 50 minutes and the regular pans for one hour.

Notes: I love this bread a little warm with cream cheese frosting on it. I also make a compound butter bay taking a stick of butter 1 T cinnamon and 2 T sugar and mixing well and chilling. Spread that on the warm butter is wonderful also!

French Onion Soup

3 T butter
3 pounds yellow onions, sliced
1 t sugar
2 T flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
2 T dry white wine
2 T brandy
1 1/2 t dijon mustard
4 1/2 inch thick french bread slices
4 slices swiss cheese
4 slices mozzarella cheese

Melt butter in heavy large pan over medium heat. Add the onions, sugar and pinch of salt. Stir well. Cover and cook until onions are very soft (20-30 minutes), stirring occassionally. Uncover and increase heat to high. Saute until onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour and stir for 2 minutes, until well mixed. Add the wine & brandy and scrape the bottom of the pot (all the good stuff is stuck there!) Add the broths and mustard. Salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a biol, stirring frequently. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

Toast the slices of bread. Pre-heat the broiler. Ladle soup into deep broilerproof bowls. Top soup with 1 slice of bread and 1 slice of each cheese. Broil until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Notes: Perfect with a green salad and a nice glass of wine on a cold evening. Can you feel fall approaching?

Fried Raviloi

1 package ravioli with any kind of filling
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups italian bread crumbs
olive oil
marinara sauce
parmsean cheese

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a pan to medium heat. To test the heat, a 1 inch pice of bread should toast lightly in 1 minute. Dip the ravioli in the buttermilk then in the bread crumbs making sure they're coated well. Dip all the ravioli at once and set aside. Start frying6-7 at a time. 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on one side then filp and the same on the other side. Take out of the oil and lay on papertowels to drain. Immediately sprinkle with parm cheese. Serve with marinara sauce.

Notes: This was really really good. I'm assuming that it's really bad for you though! I can't wait to try it with different kinds of ravioli.

I love my little garden. Although it's had some tough times this year, there are still some good tomatoes out there. And my favorite thing to do with fresh tomatoes is to make marinara sauce. And with this I have to tell you that I am very much a "throw it in until it looks right" kind of cook. I add and taste until it suits my taste. So this receive is as close as I can come to writing it down.

marinara

4 cups of chopped tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
2 T rinsed capers
1/2 cup red wine - nothing too fruity
1 green pepper, diced
2 T mined fresh basil
1 T minced fresh oregano
salt & pepper

1/2 pound any pasta, cooked for 3 minutes less than the package recommends

In a large non stick frying pan on medium heat, add 2 T good olive oil. Add the peppers and the onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes until the peppers and onions start to become soft. Season with salt & pepper. Add the tomatoes (carefully) and stir. Cook for 5 minutes stirring several times so the tomatoes don't burn. Add the wine, capers and olives. Cook for 5 minutes. Immediately add the cooked pasta and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the fresh herbs and salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Notes: I sometimes start the pan off with sliced hot italian sausage and fry that until it's cooked through. Then I take it out of the pan and start the sauce. When I add the wine, capers & olives I add the sausage back in. It also works well with chicken.

Garlic Bread

1 loaf italian bread
1 large head of garlic
1/2 cup soft butter
olive oil
1 T fresh italian parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Done ahead of time: Heat oven to 375. Cut the top 1/2 inch off the whole head of garlic. Toss the top. Make a foil pouch to hold the head of garlic. Pour 1 T olive oil in the garlic. Season with salt & pepper and close the pouch. Bake for 1 hour. Pull it out and let it cook for 2 hours. Note: your whole house will smell like garlic, but it's good!

When ready to make the bread, slice the loaf at about 3/4 inch, somewhat on the diagonal to make the pieces bigger. Line up the sliced as one loaf on a sheet of foil big enough to go around the whole loaf. Take the cooled head of garlic and squeeze out the individual cloves. They will be soft & mushy and easy to get out of the head. Mash those in a bowl. Add the soft butter, herbs, salt & pepper and cheese. Spread the slices of bread with the mixture and wrap up the loaf well. Put back into the 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the bread is warmed through. YUM!

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound chirizo, taken out of the casing
1 onion, diced and put into 2 equal piles
1 can black beans
1 can chili beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes for chili or rotel tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
8 ounces tomato sauce
8 counces water (or more)
4 ounce can diced chilis
2 packages taco season mix
1 can sliced black olives
1/2 cup sliced green olives

green onions, cilantro, tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese to top it

In large crockpot, empty all the cans of items. Add the liquid with all the items also. Add the water. Stir in the olives, 1 packet of taco seasoning and 1 pile of onions. In fry pan, add the ground beef & chirizo, breaking up as it cooks. When it's half way cooked, add one of the piles of diced onion and 1 package of the taco seasoning. When it's cooked through, add it to the crockpot.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. You can add more or less water to make it more like a soup or stew. Serve with cilantro, diced green onions, broken tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese.

Notes: Now that the weather is not so hot, I'm really craving crock pot meals again. As evidenced byt he last 2 entires! You can take the leftovers of this an freeze them for a later date. It's also really good if you use a slotted spoon to scoop out the mixture and add to soft taco shells.

Crock-Pot Stroganoff

1 pound lean stew meat cut into chunks
1 medium onion, diced fine
2 cloves garlic, diced fine
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 basket baby bella mushrooms
1 can golden cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup plus 1/2 cup white wine
1 cup low sodium beef broth
4 ounces cream cheese

2 T flour
1 T of your favorite steak grill seasoning
salt & pepper

In a 2 quart or larger crockpot, add the soup the beef broth, 1/2 cup wine and the worcestershire sauce on low.

Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat with 1 T olive oil. In the quart sized bag, add the flour and the seasonings. Put all the meat in the bag and toss until the pieces are well coated. Take the piece of meat out, leaving the excess flour in the bag. Sear the outsides of the pieces of meat for 1-2 minutes on each side. When all sides are brown, add to the crock pot.

Place the pan on the heat again, this time low to medium heat and add 1 T oil. When hot, add the onions then the garlic. Sweat the two until the onions are translucent. Turn heat up to medium high and add 1/2 cup wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spoon to get all the bits loose into the liquid. Simmer for 3-4 minutes stirring freqently. Add this mixture to the crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

Then add the cleaned, sliced mushrooms and cook on low for 1 hour. Check the liquid. If it's getting too thick, add more beef broth.

Cut the 4 ounces cream cheese into a small dice and add one at a time to the crockpot. Stir several times to make sure the cheese is mixed in well. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Don't cook much longer as the cheese will begin to break down and separate.

NOTES:
The cheese acks as a thickener much like the typical sour cream does.
You can also use red wine instead of white wine to give the stroganoff a more beef burgandy flavor.
If you don't want to add the wine, use all beef broth.
Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodle or rice.

I am constantly trying new recipes. I get them from cookbooks, friends, the internet, my internet friends. I thought I needed a place to start documenting my recipes.