Category Archives: Recipes

Easy Noodle Bake

From time to time we are asked for recipes for easy meals for busy moms with young children. This recipe will fit the bill. This recipe is enough to serve two adults and one or two younger children. It can be doubled to feed more.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1-1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles (I used medium)
  • 1 cup frozen vegetables of your choice (I used chopped broccoli)
  • 10 oz. can of cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup shredded colby/jack cheese

Method:

  1. Saute onion with a little olive oil until translucent.
  2. Add ground beef and cook thoroughly, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, drain excess fat, set aside.
  3. Spread uncooked noodles evenly in bottom of prepared baking dish.
  4. Top with cooked beef and the vegetables.
  5. Whisk soup, milk and water together.
  6. Pour over vegetables.
  7. Top with cheese.
  8. Cover dish with foil sealing well.
  9. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
  10. Serve hot with a side salad if desired.

Ellen’s Extra Tip:
Why not cook up a larger portion of ground beef when preparing this easy meal since ground beef usually sells for less in larger packages. Use a whole onion and cook up a three or more pound package of ground beef and save equal portions in freezer ziploc bags for future use. You could store one package in the refrigerator and make a nice taco salad another night of the week. Freeze the other portions for easy retrieval for a quick meal like hamburger soup or chili.

Sirloin Soup

This soup is rich and delicious and because it calls for Sirloin steak the meat is very tender.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 large leek, rinsed well and finely chopped
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 1 pound sirloin steak, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper depending on your heat tolerance
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 quart beef stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Method:

  1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the leek and carrot and cook until soft, stirring frequently.
  4. Add the beef, salt, pepper and spices.
  5. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.
  6. Make a slurry with the flour and 2 tablespoons water.
  7. Add to the pot and stirring for a minute.
  8. Add the stock and bay leaf, stir well, and bring to a boil.
  9. Lower the heat and simmer partially covered for 1 to 1-1/2 hours stirring occasionally.
  10. Remove the bay leaf, add the parsley, stir well.
  11. Serve with good crusty bread.

This recipe makes about 4 servings.

Butterflied and Roasted Chicken With Veggies

This is a rustic meal with rough cut vegetables roasted in a pan that can go from your stove top to your oven. Butterflying the chicken gives you the option to cook the chicken breast down which results in breast meat that is not dried out while you wait on the dark meat to be cooked thoroughly.

Ingredients:

  • 1 -3-4lb. whole chicken
  • 4-5 white potatoes, quartered
  • 4-5 carrots rough cut
  • 1 large onion, quartered
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed, optional
  • Seasoned salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil and more Olive Oil to coat the vegetables.
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper.

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Rinse and pat the whole chicken dry.
  3. Using good kitchen shears cut out the backbone of the chicken and set aside to make chicken stock or discard.
  4. Flatten the whole chicken by pressing firmly on the breast bone. Remove any excess skin.
  5. Prepare vegetables placing them in large bowl and season them with salt and pepper (to taste).
  6. Add the smashed garlic.
  7. Sprinkle the vegetables generously with olive oil and toss together to coat all the vegetables evenly.
  8. Set aside.
  9. Heat oil and butter in large oven proof pan or dutch oven.
  10. Season chicken well with seasoned salt of your choice.
  11. If you don’t have seasoned salt season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
  12. Place chicken breast side down in heated pan to brown and crisp up the skin.
  13. Turn the chicken over carefully and brown the other side.
  14. Remove the chicken to a plate or platter while you go on to the next step.
  15. De-glaze the pan with a little chicken stock or white wine.
  16. Add all the seasoned and oiled vegetables to the pan.
  17. Place the chicken breast side down on top of the vegetables.
  18. Place pan with vegetables and chicken on the center rack of preheated oven.
  19. Roast for 60 minutes.
  20. Turn chicken over and roast for 10 more minutes or until meat thermometer registers 165 degrees at the thickest part of the dark meat.
  21. Remove the chicken from the pan onto cutting board and cut the chicken into serving sizes.

You can return the chicken to the roasting pan or onto a platter at this point adding the vegetables.

Remove the chicken from the pan onto cutting board and cut the chicken into serving sizes. You can return the chicken to the roasting pan or onto a platter at this point adding the vegetables.

Serve with your favorite additions or no additions. We chose some salad and sour dough bread.

Crock Pot Carnitas

This easy recipe using inexpensive meat would be great to have cooking all day long before your New Year’s Eve festivities. Carnitas is Mexican slow cooked pork that is easily shredded for fillings in soft tacos or burritos or Chimichangas.

Ingredients:
3 lbs. pork ( I used a pork shoulder)
1 lb. pinto beans (dry)
6 cups water
1/2 Cup onion, chopped.
2 cloves garlic, minced.
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon Cumin seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon salt
1 small can diced jalapenos
1/2 – 1 cup salsa of your choice

Put all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until beans are soft and meat falls apart. Uncover and cook on high to thicken liquid to desired consistency. At this stage you can skim off any fat if you desire.You can also cook these ingredients in a dutch oven on the stove top for 5 or more hours.

Serve with flour or corn tortillas, shredded cheese, cilantro, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, green onions, limes, avocado, and salsa.

This recipe will serve 8-10 people generously.

A Grand Day

Our grands came over for a few hours on Monday afternoon. We had some fun activities planned. First off, they both were ‘hungry’ so we sliced some of their mom’s homemade sourdough bread and they enjoyed it with some honey on top. They also enjoyed some hot chocolate with marshmallows in their special Christmas mugs.

Then it was time for the dollar store aprons and cookie baking. I had to take photos fast because JJ was already unwrapping the butter.

We got everything mixed in with their help leveling the sugar and flour with very minimum spillage. Then it was time to roll the dough into balls and lay them on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Poking a hole in each round with the end of a wooden spoon was fun.

Ready to go into the oven.

Once they were out with lots of warning not to touch the hot cookie sheet we carefully helped each other put some melted semi sweet chocolate into each hole.

We didn’t taste test till after their mom came back from some alone time and we enjoyed dinner together. We all agreed this was a good recipe. I’ll add the link to Charlotte’s German Hazelnut Cookies here. We did not have hazelnuts so we substituted pecans in this recipe.

After cookie baking, Addy and JJ were given the task to set up a Christmas village with these pop up cards we have received every year from my college roommate and her husband. I told the Grands to be extra careful with them since they are paper and won’t last forever. Over thirty of these pop up cards have survived over the years.

On the day the kids were setting up the village this year’s card arrived in the mail.

A cuckoo clock. We had a fun discussion about Cuckoo birds with Addy and JJ.

The vintage angels were my mother-in-law’s. They are sweet but when I think of angels and the verses in the Bible that speak of angels, I never think sweet as a description. They startled and caused fear and were powerful and not easily described. I prefer my wooden angel on the left.

The three mugs in the back are Josh, Dan and Katie’s mugs. The two in the front I purchased for Addy and JJ.

Today we will pick up our food items for our Christmas Eve and Christmas day meals. Tomorrow our daughter and hubby arrive from the west side of our state and celebrations will continue. Hope all is merry and bright in your corner of the world.

Roasted Cranberry and Goat Cheese Flatbread

This easy to make flatbread appetizer would be a nice addition to your Christmas or New Year’s Eve festivities. I found this recipe in a grocery store flyer.

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon chopped leeks
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
  • salt to taste
  • 2 flatbreads (14.1 ounces)
  • 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, divided
  • For topping: freshly chopped arugula, pomegranate arils, and honey

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Mix cranberries, maple syrup, leeks, thyme and salt in an 8 inch square baking dish.
  3. Roast, stirring every so often, until the mixture begins to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven and stir until cranberries are broken down and the mixture is thick.
  5. Cool for 5 minutes.
  6. Divide the cranberry mixture and spread evenly over the flatbreads.
  7. Top each with goat cheese and pecans.
  8. Bake directly on oven rack for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is warmed and the flatbread is crispy.
  9. Remove from oven.
  10. Garnish each with freshly chopped arugula, pomegranate arils and a drizzle of honey.
  11. Cut into small wedges or strips and serve.
  12. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Serves: 8 generously as an appetizer

I used the Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads for this recipe. They come 2 in a package.

Pecan Pinwheel Cookies

These cookies started with a basic Butter Cookie Dough that could create a variety of cookies.

Ingredients:

  • 1-3/4 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons soft butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

  1. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth but not fluffy.
  2. Beat in egg.
  3. Add flour and mix until incorporated, using hands if needed.
  4. Chill dough for one hour.
  5. On floured parchment, roll half the dough into a rough rectangle about 10 x 8 inches.
  6. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
  7. Slide rectangles on parchment to baking sheet.
  8. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  9. Meanwhile mix 3 tablespoons soft butter, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in small bowl.
  10. Spread half of this mixture over one of the rectangles of refrigerated dough and distribute well.
  11. With long side facing you, use parchment paper to help you roll into log.
  12. Repeat for the second rectangle adding the rest of the filling.
  13. Chill until firm.
  14. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  15. Cut logs into 1/4 inch slices.
  16. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
  17. Bake until lightly browned, 12-17 minutes.
  18. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies.

You can freeze one of the logs for future use if you don’t need this many cookies at once. Just wrap them in parchment and put the log into a freezer safe zip loc bag until ready to bake.

Brie, Pear, and Arugula Pizza

This Brie, Pear and Arugula pizza would be great for an appetizer. I used a pound of store bought fresh pizza dough found in the deli section which really made this easy to make. If you want to make your own dough here’s a link to one of Kathy’s recipes for pizza dough.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of pizza dough
  • 1/2 cup red onion sliced thin
  • 1 small round of Brie (4 oz.) sliced.
  • 2-3 fresh pears cored and sliced
  • A handful of Arugula
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Olive oil

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Prepare pizza pan with a little olive oil to coat.
  3. Prepare a surface with a little flour to roll out your pizza dough to fit your pan.
  4. Transfer dough to pan and stretch to fit nicely.
  5. Top dough evenly with the red onion slices.
  6. Bake in oven for up to 12 minutes until the dough is golden.
  7. Remove from oven and turn the oven to broil.
  8. Carefully add the Brie and Pears evenly on the dough.
  9. Salt and pepper these ingredients to your taste.
  10. Scatter the Arugula on top of the Brie and Pears.
  11. Sprinkle with olive oil.
  12. Place pan back in oven set to broil and watch very carefully removing just after the Brie melts.
  13. Cut into serving portions and enjoy.

Toasted Turkey Sandwich

If you are wondering what to do with leftover turkey this is a tasty treat for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

  • Leftover roasted turkey
  • Hearty bread sliced, I used Focaccia
  • Cranberry sauce
  • Havarti Cheese (or any cheese you prefer)

Method:

  1. Layer the turkey on the bread.
  2. Spread the cranberry sauce on the turkey.
  3. Top with cheese.
  4. Put second layer of bread on top.
  5. Place in toaster oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

You can also add thin sliced onions or mayonnaise to the sandwich if you like.

When you have assembled the sandwich put it in the toaster oven till the cheese is melted. You can also spread a little butter on the outside of the bread and pan grill it on each side until the cheese melts.

If you want to use the whole loaf of Focaccia to make enough for 4-6 people slice through the whole loaf so you have two large rounds of bread. Layer the bottom round with the same ingredients and then put the 2nd round on top and place on a roasting pan and put it in the oven to toast until the cheese melts.

Pumpkin Praline Trifle

I found this recipe in a magazine and have made it for two very special gatherings. It’s a great trifle for our fall and winter celebrations.

The most time consuming part of the recipe is making the praline. The praline recipe yields enough to make 2 trifles. The creamy layers and pumpkin layers are very simple to make and assemble. If you have a large gathering with lots of preparations I would suggest making the praline up to a week ahead and then preparing the trifle a day or two ahead of your gathering.

Praline:

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 1 cup packed golden brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup half and half
  • 1-1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-2/3 cups pecan halves or pieces (about 6 oz.)

Mascarpone Cream:

  • 2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
  • 1- 8 oz. container chilled mascarpone cheese
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

  • 1 – 15 oz. can pure pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (I used already ground)
  • 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1-1/2 – 3 oz. packages of soft ladyfingers. (I bought a 4.75 oz. box of soft lady fingers at Trader Joe’s and it was enough for 1 trifle)
  • 4-1/2 tablespoons of dark rum, divided (optional)

Praline:

  1. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.
  2. Bring both sugars and half and half to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium high heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes, whisking constantly.
  3. Add butter, vanilla, and salt.
  4. Attach candy thermometer to pan. Simmer without stirring until temperature registers 260 degrees F, about 8 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat; immediately mix in pecans.
  6. Transfer to prepared sheet, spreading in a single layer.
  7. Cool completely. Chop into 1/4 inch pieces.

Mascarpone Cream:

  1. Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients in large bowl until firm peaks form.
  2. Set aside 1/2 cup mascarpone cream for pumpkin filling.

Filling:

  1. Whisk pumpkin, brown sugar, whipping cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt to blend.
  2. Whisk in reserved 1/2 cup mascarpone cream.

Assembling the Trifle:

  1. Spread 1/3 cup mascarpone cream over bottom of 8×5 inch trifle dish (12-14 cup capacity).
  2. Place layer of lady fingers over cream. Sprinkle 1-1/2 Tablespoons of rum over.
  3. Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin filling over ladyfingers, spreading to edges.
  4. Sprinkle 1/3 cup praline over.
  5. Spread 1 cup mascarpone cream over.
  6. Cover with another layer of lady fingers.
  7. Sprinkle with 1-1/2 tablespoons rum, then spread 1 cup pumpkin filling over.
  8. Sprinkle 1/2 cup praline over.
  9. Repeat 1 more time with 1 cup mascarpone cream, lady fingers, rum, 1 cup pumpkin filling and 1/2 cup praline.
  10. Spread remaining mascarpone cream on top.
  11. Cover and chill overnight.
  12. DO AHEAD. Can be made 2 days ahead.

Uncover trifle. Sprinkle 1 cup praline decoratively over top (reserving any remaining praline for another use)