Polish Mistakes or Sausage Yummies

Well Game Day is fast approaching.  Time for finger food that wont get on the carpet when people start cheering.  Ok, I am not a football fan but I do like watching the commercials. I will be serving an assortment of snacks including Polish Mistakes.  Why are they called Polish Mistakes? I have no idea. I do know that they are super delicious though.  One of my dad's friends started bringing them to his bar for Super Bowl parties a long time ago.  I have tweaked the recipe just a touch to make them a little more colorful. We call them Sausage Yummies at my house so no one is offended by the silly name.

Polish Mistakes

(or Sausage Yummies)

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground sausage

8 oz. Velveeta Mexican cheese

1/8 cup red pepper, finely minced

1/8 cup green pepper, finely minced

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 package of rye or pumpernickel squares (aka cocktail bread)

Directions:

Brown sausage in skillet. Just before the sausage is cooked through, add the peppers (this keeps them a little crisp) and garlic. While the sausage is cooking, cube the cheese into manageable pieces. Put the cubes of cheese into a medium sized bowl. Drain the fat off the sausage and pour the mixture onto the cheese. Mix well.  If the cheese doesn't melt all the way, put the bowl into the microwave for 30 seconds.  Spoon about a tbsp of the mixture onto each cocktail rye piece and place on a cookie sheet. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes to allow them to set up a bit. Next, put them in plastic bags and freeze. You can keep them in the freezer for about a month.Take out as needed and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees in a conventional oven or 13 minutes in a toaster oven set on 450. This makes about 64, which is approximately how many slices of bread you get on one package.

The bead will be crunchy and the meat/cheese will be hot and bubbly.  This is a great appetizer because you can get out as many or few as you need and cook them in batches.

Beef Taco Casserole

We like tacos around here. However, the assemble your own variety can get old.  I like this every once in a while.  I have stopped using taco seasoning mix altogether.  I have found you can get the same great taste without all that unnecessary sodium and preservatives.  I always use this meat mixture now instead of the packet.  It's much healthier and super easy.

Beef Taco Casserole

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 (14.5 ounce) can or box of diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (I like Rotel)

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

8 ounces shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

1 (18 ounce) package corn tortilla chips, lightly crushed

Sour Cream to garnish

Lettuce (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef and drain fat. 

Add the diced tomatoes with green chile peppers and spices. Simmer 10-15 minutes or until beef is cooked through and no pink remains.

In the bottom of a 9 x 13" baking dish, place a layer of tortilla chips. Cover with a layer of the meat mixture then a layer of cheese. Repeat this process two more times, ending with cheese on top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.

Garnish with sour cream and serve on a bed of lettuce (if you like).

Serrano Crisps with Goat Cheese and Apple

This was the one of the best brunch recipes I have tried in a long time.  I made it the other day when Matt's boss came over with his lovely wife.  The combination of flavors and textures was out of this world! This is so easy and yet so elegant.  Try this recipe and your guests will be super impressed.

 Serrano Crisps with Goat Cheese and Apple

Ingredients:

12  thin Serrano slices (about 1/3 lb.) *Don't have Serrano on hand? Try Prosciutto!

2 Macintosh apples

1/2  (4-oz.) package goat cheese, crumbled

Freshly cracked pepper

Honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°. Arrange Serrano slices in a single layer on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a paper towel-lined wire rack. Let stand 10 minutes or until crisp. Core apples, and cut crosswise into 12 thin rings (6 per apple). Arrange on a serving platter. Top with Serrano and crumbled goat cheese; sprinkle with freshly cracked pepper. Drizzle with honey just before serving.

Angi's Famous Skillet

This is my "famous" recipe simply because I often make it for Sunday brunch.  It's easy to walk away from if you need some coffee or a moment to chat with friends. It is also very adaptable so feel free to make your own veggie and meat (or no meat) choices. You can also change the amount to meet the hunger of your crowd.  I usually make enough for about 10.

Sunday Morning Skillet

4 cups diced or shredded potatoes

1 doz. eggs

2 cups shredded cheddar

2 tbsp of milk (although water works if you have none)

1 pound ground sausage

1 medium onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

2 tbsp minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1 healthy dash of olive oil

Fry the sausage, onion, garlic and peppers in a large skillet, drain and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper

In the same skillet that you cooked the sausage, add a healthy dash of olive oil and fry the hash browns.  The potatoes do not have to get crisp, just heated through.

Add the sausage mix

Stir to combine.

Once the sausage is hot again add the egg mixture.

Stir frequently so the eggs combine with the potato/sausage mix.

Once the eggs are no longer runny, add the cheese.

Stir to combine and continue stirring until the cheese is melted.

I serve this with sour cream and hot sauce on the side. It is always a huge hit and we rarely have leftovers.

YUM!

Mac and Cheese with Ham

Have you been to oui, chef? If not, you should.  I got this mac and cheese recipe from him the other day.  It is the BOMB.  Seriously.  We ate it all in 2 days. Mind you, I modified the recipe a tiny bit to suit my household, but don't we all?  That being said, he still deserves the credit for this dish. He got it from a cookbook that he credits on his site.  Look there for more info.
  
Mac and Cheese with Ham

Ingredients:

1 pound elbow macaroni

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 pound ham steak, diced

6 tbsp butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups 2% milk

1 pound coarsely grated cheddar cheese

2 tbsp prepared horseradish

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350℉ and lightly butter a 9x13" baking dish.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.  Cook per package instructions until just al dente, drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking.

In a large, heavy bottomed saute pan or skillet set over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Add the ham and cook until browned (this too me about 5 minutes) remove from the pan and set aside.

Set the pan back over medium heat, melt the butter, whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly (this took me about 3 minutes) until the mixture turns a light tan color.

Add the milk to the pan, whisking constantly, and bring the sauce to a simmer.  Simmer for about 2 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken.  Take the pan off the heat and stir in the grated cheddar and horseradish.

Pour the pasta into the pan of cheese sauce, add the ham and stir gently to combine.  Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, sprinkle the top with the grated Parmesan.

Bake in the oven, uncovered, until the top is golden and bubbly (about 35 minutes in my oven).  Next, take the dish from the oven and sprinkle the top with a light coating of breadcrumbs, put it back in the oven for 5-10 more minutes.

Let this dish sit on your counter for about 10 minutes before serving. It is even better the next day.... if you have any leftovers!

BBQ Pork Chops in the Crock Pot

Those of you who know me, know I love to use my Crock Pot. I have a big one for when company comes, and a small one for Hubby and I.  Today I made a BBQ pork chop recipe out of things I had in the fridge.  You can modify the sauce recipe any way you like, or use a bottle if you want.  It wont hurt my feelings, I promise!

BBQ Pork Chops with Potatoes, Carrots and Onion

(in the Crock Pot or Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:

3 to 6 pork chops (any size will do - use what you like!)

4 red potatoes -cubed into 1" pieces

about 20 baby carrots

1/4 cup chopped white onion

1/4 tbsp. Kosher salt (more or less to taste)

1/4 tbsp. Freshly Ground Pepper

Sauce: (I made this up from stuff I had on hand because I didn't have enough BBQ sauce)

1/4 bottle BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Original because it rocks)

1/4 cup ketchup 

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

2 tbsp. Spicy Brown mustard

1 healthy dash of Liquid Smoke (not necessary, but I have it in the pantry)

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions:

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl.  Dip your pork chops in and coat well on both sides.

Place them in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Cut up your potatoes and onion and mix with the baby carrots in the BBQ sauce bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add one cup of water. Toss to coat. Place on top of the chops.

Turn the slow cooker to Low and cook all day.  This really depends on the amount of chops.  I used 3 so I cooked for 8 hours.  You will need to cook at least an additional 1 hour for 6 chops.  Hopefully you know your slow cooker and can adapt this cook time to fit your needs.  If you are in a hurry, cook on high for half the time but use a food thermometer to make sure your internal chop temp is 160°F.

I served this with peas and biscuits.  The chops were very tender and the sauce was great!

Mrs. Nathan's Pot Roast

This is my pal Melissa Nathan's recipe. She used to be my assistant a long time ago and she is a pretty rockin' Stage Manager. She calls it Mom's Pot Roast but I couldn't do that as my mom uses a very different recipe and she might kill me!

Mrs. Nathan's Pot Roast

1 onion, sliced

lg pot roast

garlic, minced

1 cup water with 1 tsp bouillon dissolved

1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce

2 Tbs brown sugar

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp mustard

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup vinegar

Preheat oven 350. Slice onion in bottom of pan. Spread garlic over meat; pour broth over. Mix rest of ingredients and pour over meat, cover and cook about 3 hrs. Turn after every hr.

"Delicious! My mom's recipe. Makes it for the jewish holidays." -Melissa

Chicken Bacon Sausage

This recipe was submitted by my pal Cedan Bourne-Nisson. He's from my old-school Utah Shakespearean Festival days and he is a serious carnivore!

Chicken-Bacon Sausage

(you will need a meat grinder)

Note: If apples are in season I often chop up an apple and add it to the mix pre-grind. Core the apple, but leave the skin on.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken thighs

1/2 lb your favorite bacon

1 large/medium clove garlic

3 table spoons kosher salt (I like Diamond Crystal)

1 table spoons fresh ground black pepper

1 tea spoon crushed red pepper (more or less as you like)

6-10 leaves fresh basil (I like Thai, but whatever)

1/4 cup olive oil

A splash of really cold white wine (whatever you have on hand)

Ice

One large mixing bowl, and one medium mixing bowl

Meat Grinder with small die

Directions:

First off, put your whole meat grinder and the bowls in the freezer. Two hours would be good, four would be better.

When your hardware is good and frozen go ahead and put your chicken and bacon in the freezer for a bit too. You don't want to freeze it, but you want it to be good and firm - this will make cutting it up much easier.

Chiffonade the basil and set aside

Dice the clove of garlic.

Cube up your slightly frozen meats (about 1/2 inch cube);

mix the meats, garlic, crushed red, salt, and black pepper together.

Place this whole mix in the refrigerator while you set up your grinder.

Fill the larger bowl with ice, and place the medium bowl in the ice.

Place your grinder so that the meat will fall into the medium bowl.

If you have an apron, you might want to put it on: Sometimes this spits.

On low speed, run the chicken/bacon mix thru the grinder.

Remember: Heat is the enemy. Don't force it... but work as quickly as you can.

When everything is all ground up add the basil.

Then, using a wooden spoon (or a stand mixer with paddle attachment) stir the mix for a good minute. Then add the olive oil and chilled white wine. Mix for another minute.

That's it.

Use it loose, stuff it into casings, poach it (maybe in some white wine?), add it to pasta, or rice. If you have some french bread, pickles, lettuce and mustard you can make a really nice sandwich.

Should keep for 3-4 days refrigerated, or a couple months frozen.

Enjoy

Bacon and Cheddar Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 2 pieces bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 8 ounces ground pork
• 8 ounces ground turkey
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded (2 1/3 cups)
• 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Glaze Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 4 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-low heat, until crispy and fat renders, about 10 minutes.

Remove bacon, reserving renderings in the skillet. Cook the onions and garlic in the pan drippings until brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk the eggs, mustard, hot sauce, Worcestershire, cream, salt, and pepper. Add the meat, cheese, parsley, and cooked onion. Chop and add the bacon. Mix with a fork until evenly blended. Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a bowl.

Dampen hands with water and on broiling pan, pat mixture into a loaf shape. I use the broiling pan because then all the grease drips off the meatloaf and into the bottom, trust me - if you don't your meatloaf will be sitting in about an inch of grease. YUCK! Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 155 degrees F, about 1 1/2 hours. Spread the glaze onto the meatloaf in the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Let loaf rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

I like to serve with potato wedges and a green salad.  I also like to put BBQ sauce on the top of this instead of the glaze, but that's just me!

Hope you like it.

Kickin' Crab Bisque

Kickin' Crab Bisque

3 tablespoons Olive Oil 

2 pieces Celery, diced

2 Carrots, diced

1 small Yellow Onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups Milk (or half and half if you don't mind the calories!)
8 oz. chicken (or seafood) stock

2 cups Crab meat, shredded (I  like Snow Crab the best 
but you can use your fave.)

3 cups corn kernels (white corn is sweeter!)
Zest from half a lemon

2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons corn starch
   
Saute celery, carrots, garlic and onion in olive oil. Combine all ingredients 
except wine and corn starch in Crock-Pot; stir well. 
 Cover and cook on Low setting for 3 to 5 hours. 
Just before serving mix the wine and cornstarch in a cup, pour into chowder
 to thicken. 

Cook another 20 minutes.

(all of this can be made on the stove in an hour if you are in a hurry! 
Simmer on medium.) 

Makes about 2 quarts.

Salmon salad

Don't know what to do with that leftover piece of salmon from dinner last night? Here is a delicious and healthy recipe.

Ingredients:

* 1 medium head of red lettuce
* 2 hard boiled eggs, no yolks
* 1 carrot, shredded
* 1 cup cooked asparagus tips
* 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
* 1 small yellow pepper, cut into strips
* 1 nice piece of salmon (or 7.5 ounce can of pink salmon)

* For the Vinaigrette Dressing:
* 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 2 tbsp water
* 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
* 1 garlic clove, crushed

Directions:
Rinse and dry lettuce leaves. Tear into pieces and divide among four bowls or plates.

Combine chopped cooked egg whites, carrot, asparagus, onion and peppers. Arrange on top of lettuce.

Flake salmon on top of vegetables. (Or drain and flake.)

In a small bowl (or food processor), whisk vinaigrette ingredients together until emulsified. Drizzle a little over each plate or bowl.

Serves 4.

Yummy and good for you.

Corned Beef and Cabbage in the crock pot

You know how I love my slow cooker. This is one of those meals that looks really time consuming and difficult but in reality is simple and easy!







Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: approx. 10 hours

Ingredients:
* 6 carrots, cut into chunks
* 4 potatoes, cut in half
* 2 stalks of celery, chopped
* 2 onions, sliced
* 2-3 lb. corned beef brisket with seasoning packet
* 12 oz. can Guinness beer
* 2 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 cup water
* 8 wedges cabbage

Preparation: In 6 quart crockpot, combine celery and onions. Rinse corned beef under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in crockpot. In small bowl mix brown sugar with water and beer and pour over brisket. Spread mustard on brisket and sprinkle seasoning packet on top. Cover crockpot and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours.
Add potatoes and carrots and cook an additional 2 hours.

Remove corned beef from crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm. Add cabbage wedges to vegetables and liquid in crockpot. Cover crockpot and cook on high for additional 30-40 minutes or until cabbage is crisp tender. To serve, cut beef across grain into thin slices. Remove vegetables from slow cooker with slotted spoon and serve with beef. Serve cooking juices over the meal, if desired. Offer additional mustard on the side.

8 servings

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

Awesome Meatballs

This recipe is so good and so easy! A long time ago I used to have Italian Night when I worked for the Utah Shakespearean Festival. One night some of the crew delivered 10 lbs. of ground beef and 10 lbs. Italian sausage and asked me to make as make meatballs as I could. I was up to the challenge and this is the recipe I created.

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. Italian sausage (mild or hot)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup Romano cheese, grated

1 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano

1/2 cup warm water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine meats in a large bowl. Add eggs, garlic, cheese and spices; mix well. Add in breadcrumbs and mix again. Add water and mix a final time. The mixture will be a little gloppy from the water, but it will make the final product so tender!

Form into balls. This will make 16 meatballs. (Less if you make them bigger.) Spray a broiler pan with non-stick cooking spray and place meatballs. I use this type of pan so the grease drains.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Your time may vary. You are looking for a nicely browned meatball. If you don't put them in sauce, you need to make sure the internal temp comes up to 160 degrees before eating!

Or...Drop meatballs in your sauce and cook an additional 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti alla Bolognese aka Spaghetti Sauce like Grandma used to make

My Grandma made spaghetti sauce differently than the other families I know. Sauce at my "Gramma's" didn't have a lot of sauce, but sure did have a lot of stuff in it. When I started cooking on my own I investigated tomato sauce based stuff and found I didn't like it as much. I also discovered that Gramma didn't make Marinara or Ragù. She made Bolognese. Yum! I am currently out of town and living in a hotel so I will probably not have any photos for a while but I will do my best to keep posting until I get on the ship.

1 lb. ground italian sausage
1/4 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes.
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon Oregano (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
1 tablespoon Basil (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
1/2 tablespoon Fresh ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry red wine (I like a merlot)

Fry up your meats on medium heat. They can go in together. Drain any excess grease.
Next add in your onion, carrot and celery and garlic and fry until soft.
Add the wine and let it come to a simmer before moving on. By "simmer" I mean lightly bubbling. This will let the wine flavor marry with the other ingredients.
Then add in your diced tomatoes, all the dry seasonings and mix well.
Add the tomato paste. Fill the empty can with water two times and add it too.
Mix it all around and let it come back to a simmer.
Turn your heat down to low and cover your pan.

If you are going to do this right, let it simmer for 3-5 hours. Keep an eye on it or it will burn. Just stir every 20 minutes or so.

Truthfully, it is ready to eat about 20 minutes after you add the tomato paste. But it will taste OH SO MUCH better if you let all the ingredients sit together for as long as you can stand. You may find you need to add another can of water if you simmer it the full time.

Serve over spaghetti. Not angel hair, not thin spaghetti. REAL spaghetti. Thick and filling.
Add a nice green salad and some garlic bread and you have a delicious and cheap meal.

This should serve 6 with no leftovers.

YUM!

Chicken Fried Rice

Use your old rice. Rice should be at least one day old, two is even better! The chicken can be from your leftovers too! Remember that you can use just about any veggies you have on hand. This is a super cheap and easy recipe.

• Leftover rice
  
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (you could use shrimp or beef too!)
• 2 eggs (more or less depending on how much rice you have)
• 1 cup frozen mixed veggies (or whatever leftovers you have)
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
  
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  

First get your wok nice and hot - then add a couple dollops of oil.

If you have the chicken already prepared, heat it up in the wok and then dump it on a plate. If not, cook it and then dump it on a plate.

Next cook up the veggies and garlic until they are nice and tender.

Dump them on top of the chicken.

Next up are the eggs. Lightly scramble them in the bottom of the wok. Once the are done dump them on the chicken and veggies.

Add a little more oil if your pan is looking dry.

Now put the rice in and spread it around. Don't mess with it too much or it will break down and get all mushy. I try to wait until I hear the rice really sizzle and then mix it around once.

After you hear the sizzle again - dump all the other ingredients on top.

Move it around again. Try to get the uncooked rice to the bottom when you mix all the ingredients.

Add the soy sauce and listen to it hiss.

Move it around one last time.

Should be done now! Maybe a total cook time of 30 minutes of you have raw chicken to start.... closer to 1o if chicken and veg are already cooked!

Serve with a side of Chili sauce with Garlic!

Mmmmmmm

Cooper's Tail Waggin' Good Chili

For those of you who don't know... Cooper is our pup. He's really cute and loves to hang around the kitchen while I cook.

1 lb. stew meat, cut into 1/4" pieces (trim off as much fat as you can)
4 hot Italian sausage links, taken out of the casings
1 lb. ground turkey

1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
4 jalapenos, diced (keep the seeds of only 2 peppers)

2 tablespoons Cayenne
2 tablespoons Chili Powder
2 tablespoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 tablespoons Chipotle chili fakes
1 teaspoon Salt

2 6 oz cans of tomato paste
2 14 1/2 oz. cans of diced tomatoes

2 15 oz. cans of spicy chili beans
1 15 oz. can of dark red kidney beans

1 12 oz. unibroue beer (or whatever you like - a medium ale)

Fry the sausage and turkey together in a large, heavy bottomed pot.
Remove and drain the meat in a colander.
Sear the stew meat in the same pot.
Remove the stew meat to the colander.
Pour just enough of the beer into the pot to deglaze. Scrape all the brown bits off the bottom.
Add a tiny bit of olive oil and saute the onions, green and red peppers, jalapenos and garlic.
All all the meat back into the pot.
Add the rest of the beer.
Add all of the dry spices.
Add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes.
Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the beans.
Simmer for another 30 minutes or so.

Serve with sour cream and shredded cheddar.

This is not a "burn you face off right away" chili, it is a slow burn - make you sweat type of heat.

YUM!

London Broil

Times are tough, here is a cheap and easy recipe.

Technically London Broil is a way to prepare meat, not a cut of meat but lots of supermarkets sell a cut of top round and call it London Broil.

London Broil

Ingredients:

2 lb. piece of Top Round or Flank Steak

1 container of fresh mushrooms (as many or few as you like)

Marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 olive oil

1/2 tablespoon garlic, crushed

1/2 tablespoon fresh ground pepper

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Combine all marinade items in a zip top bag. Close the bag and shake it a few times to mix all ingredients.

Add your meat to the bag.

Squish out all the air and leave to marinate overnight in fridge*, turning once.

*If you are cool like me, you can put this in your FoodSaver Marinator and marinate this in about an hour.

The meat should come out of the fridge an hour before cooking. It can just sit on your counter and come to room temperature. (Thank you, Alton Brown, for that little gem.)

Preheat oven on your Broil setting.

Broil your meat about 4 inches from the coils for about 5 minutes on each side. This is my best advice because all ovens are different. If you have ever done fillets in the oven, it's about that long. You want it to come out medium rare. Any more done will result in a TOUGH, DRY piece of shoe leather.

I put the mushrooms in an oven proof container on a lower shelf in the left over marinade. The marinade then becomes the sauce. (Make sure the marinade comes to a boil.)

Let the meat rest on your cutting board for 10 minutes before cutting. Then thinly slice it at a 45 degree angle across the grain.

Serve this with baked potato and a nice green salad. (or whatever you like!)

YUM!

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham in the Crock Pot

 5-6 large potatoes, sliced about 1/8" thick
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cups of your favorite cheese, grated (I like Parmesan, Asiago, Provolone or Colby)
8 oz. cubed ham
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon of garlic, minced (one clove)
1 teaspoon Adobo


Spray non-stick cooking spray in your Crock Pot. Layer potatoes, onions, ham and cheeses alternately in pot and put the butter on top.
In a bowl combine milk, salt, pepper, adobo and garlic.

Pour milk mixture over potato and cheese layers in the Crock Pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, until potatoes are tender.


You can also put in 1/2 teaspoon horseradish if you like it a little spicy!


YUM!

Chicken Cacciatore in the Crock Pot

Sorry guys, I didn't remember to take process pictures this time. But trust me, this recipe is AWESOME!

3 lbs. chicken (I used boneless, skinless breasts)
1 can diced tomato
1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
1 small onion, diced
1 small red (or green) pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

6 servings of your favorite pasta

Chop the onion and put in the bottom of the crock pot
Put the chicken on top of the onion
Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl and pour over the chicken

Turn the crock pot on low and cook for 8 hours.

Cook the pasta and plate your meal! The breasts will easily break in halves or quarters, or chunks, whatever you like best. Dip out the sauce with a ladle. Serve with your favorite salad and garlic bread.

I throw the left over pasta in the crock pot and let it sit in the sauce while we are eating. (If we have any leftovers!)

YUM! This is an easy and SUPER DELICIOUS recipe.

Enjoy!

Pasttata

I got this recipe from the Food in my Beard guy. I was looking for a good way to get rid of some left-overs and he delivered. The link is to his actual recipe with cool photos and stuff so look at it if you can't figure out what I mean.

Pasttata (pronounced: pas-ta-ta) (heh heh)

3 small zucchini (chopped into bite sized pieces)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/2 ground turkey (or pork or sausage or beef - whatever)
1 medium onion
1/4 teaspoon of: sage, marjoram, cayenne, rosemary (or whatever you like)
1/2 lb. leftover cooked spaghetti noodles
6 eggs
2 cups cheese of your choice (I used fontina, Parmesan, mozzarella, brie)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown the meat in a large oven-proof skillet and drain off grease. (On medium heat)
Cook the zucchini in the skillet (if needed) with the onion, garlic, tomatoes, and dry spices.
Add the meat back in and mix well.
Add the spaghetti noodles and mix well.
In a bowl, mix the eggs and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.
Pour cheese and egg mixture into pan with all the other ingredients.
Use tongs to incorporate it all together.
Let it begin to cook in the pan like you do a frittata.
Once it is mostly cooked (eggs are no longer runny) put it in the oven to finish it off.
I say about 30-40 minutes in the oven. Look for it to begin to brown on top.
Take out of the oven and let rest 3-4 minutes.
Turn out onto plate and add the last 1/2 cup of cheese.
Put back in oven for a minute to melt the cheese.

Cut it like a pie and serve.

I found the spaghetti noodles make it a much heartier meal than your average frittata. Serve with some dinner rolls and a salad for a filling meal. YUM!

Angi - Smoke free and Healing for Twenty Days, 9 Hours and 3 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 1 Day and 9 Hours, by avoiding the use of 408 cigarettes!