Saturday, February 23, 2013

Skillet Black Bean Lasagna

Our vegetarian meal for the week.  This recipe comes from the Christmas cookbook from my mom, the $5 Dinner Mom one.  We had this with corn bread, because even though it says lasagna, which is Italian and would normally call for garlic bread on the side, the spices in the recipe sounded more Mexican, so I made it with corn bread.  Weirdly, Nathan randomly asked me this morning when we could have cornbread again.  So it also seemed like I was supposed to make corn bread to go with it.  Meant to be, almost.

Skillet Black Bean Lasagna
3 cups cooked black beans (or 2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained)
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz) corn kernels, drained (I used 1 cup frozen)
1 can (4 oz) green chilies, undrained
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
6 lasagna noodles, broken into 1 inch pieces (little pieces of noodle flying everywhere...wear safety goggles if you have them)
2 cups hot water
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
Sour cream for serving, optional (and omitted by me)

In a large skillet, combine beans, tomatoes, corn, and green chilies.  Mix in the cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat and add the broken lasagna noodles and hot water.  Gently stir the mixture and press the lasagna pieces down into the liquid.  Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring once.  When the pasta is al dente, uncover the mixture and top with the cheese.  Cook another 2-3 minutes over low heat to allow the cheese to melt.

Okay when I saw this recipe, I thought it would be a good vegetarian meal.  I thought I would like it okay.  But I didn't expect to like it so much.  Seriously it was so good!  And with such simple ingredients!  Good enough to serve vegetarian dinner guests.  We loved it.  We will definitely have this again.  I already copied it for my keeper book.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Sweet Carrots with Bacon

We had this with the Chicken with Sweet Jalapeno Sauce recipe that I just posted.  Since the magazine put them right next to each other, I decided to make them both.  Plus, I love bacon.

Sweet Carrots with Bacon
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen sliced carrots
2 bacon strips
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Cook carrots according to package directions.  Cook bacon in small skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving 1 tsp drippings.

Saute onion in butter and reserved drippings.  Add brown sugar, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until brown sugar is melted.

Drain carrots and toss with onion mixture.  Crumble bacon; sprinkle over top.

Another yummy recipe.  Could have used a bit more salt, perhaps.  My niece and Nathan wanted no part of these, but that was fine.  The rest of us liked them.  Also, 2 bacon strips didn't seem like enough, because I really like bacon.  So I did 3.  Also, I chopped the bacon before I fried it, because I think cutting raw bacon is easier and cleaner than crumbling cooked bacon.  A keeper for sure.

Chicken with Sweet Jalapeno Sauce

When we say jalapeno in this house, we like to pronounce the J, just for fun.  "Jalapinno" is a phonetic rendering of our pronunciation.  Last year I made this fabulous chicken bacon tart, which had jalapeno jelly in it, so when I saw this recipe, I wanted to make it, because then I could buy the jelly again to make the other chicken thing, which we are having next week.  And that recipe wasn't too spicy, so I was hoping this one wouldn't be either.  For this meal, we also had my mother and my niece joining us.  My niece is probably the hands-down toughest food critic I have ever faced.  Picky doesn't begin to describe...But this dish was already on the meal plan before I knew she would be here.  It's from Simple & Delicious, and we had it with the carrot recipe that was beside it in the magazine, which I will post separately.

Chicken with Sweet Jalapeno Sauce
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp canola oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced (but not TOO thinly because your mom doesn't like onions and needs to be able to pick them out...)
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp orange juice
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup jalapeno pepper jelly (in the barbecue sauce aisle at the Walmart)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley (which I left out)

Flatten chicken to 1/4" thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook chicken in batches in oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink.  Remove and keep warm.  Saute onion and celery in the same pan until crisp tender.  Add the chicken broth, orange juice, and thyme.  Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half.  Stir in pepper jelly until melted.  Remove from heat; stir in butter and parsley.  Serve chicken with sauce.

Yum.  So this was a bit spicy, but also so so tasty.  It was more of a heat you could feel than like a tingly spicy.  My niece, and my two younger children, had plain chicken without the sauce (my niece even had seconds of chicken!  Woot!).  But the rest of us that had the sauce with it really really liked it.  We will definitely have this again, it was so good!

Chocolate Swirl Loaves

Sometimes I see something that looks like it will be hard, but I just want to make it because I want to see if I can.  Some of the things I've made that would fall under this heading would be tortillas (I can't--4 different recipes--please don't tell me how easy they are because I won't believe you), this beef wrapped in a pastry that was like a Julia Child recipe (that was pretty good, though it took me all afternoon and I haven't made it again), and homemade barbecue sauce (too watery), just to name a few.  This recipe is from the Southern Living Christmas cookbook my mother in law sent me.  It has an amaretto glaze that goes over it, but I opted not to make the glaze, because I think the bread sounds (and looks in the picture) like it would be good toasting bread.

Chocolate Swirl Loaves
6 3/4 to 7 1/4 cups all purpose flour, divided (I hate ranges.  I used 7 cups.  I had 3 cups of bread flour left so I used that plus 4 cups of white all purpose)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 pkg active dry yeast (this equals 4 1/2 tsp)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

Combine 2 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl (of a Kitchen Aid, if you have one); stir well.  Combine milk and butter in a saucepan, heat until butter is melted, stirring occasionally.  Cool to 120 to 130 degrees.

Gradually add liquid to flour mixture, beating at low speed of an electric mixer until blended.  Beat an additional 5 minutes at medium speed (I read you should halve mixing times if using a Kitchen Aid vs hand held or other mixer, so I did 3 minutes).  Add eggs; beat well.  Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Divide dough in half; set 1 portion aside.  Turn one portion of dough out onto a lightly floured surface; sprinkle with cinnamon, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes)(mine seemed to be smooth and elastic after like 2 minutes).  Place in a well-greased bowl and turn to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place (top of the dryer), free from drafts (I question if such a place exists in this old house), 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Turn remaining portion of dough out onto a lightly floured surface; pour melted chocolate over dough and knead until dough is smooth and elastic and chocolate is incorporated (possibly the messiest non-nursing thing I have ever done).  Place in well-greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch each portion of dough down, and divide each portion in half.  Roll 1 portion of chocolate dough and 1 portion of plain dough into 15x9 inch rectangles.  Position chocolate rectangle on top of plain rectangle.  Roll up, starting at short side, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch ends to seal.  Place dough, seam side down, in a well greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.  Repeat procedure with remaining portions of chocolate and plain doughs.

Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped.  Cover with foil if necessary during last 20 minutes of bake time to prevent excessive browning.  Remove from pans immediately; transfer to wire racks.

I got a callous rolling out the dough.  I just have a dinky hand held dough roller.  When I told my husband I got a callous, he asked if I also got a Machias.  Get it?  Smarty pants.  So, this was pretty hard.  But they came out looking great.  Not quite as many swirls as in the pictured example, but still pretty swirly.  My chocolate never got completely incorporated, and my hands were starting to hurt, so my layers also aren't delineated as well as theirs were.  But all in all, it came out like I thought it would.  Though I don't know if I will do this again...

Update:  The picture on the left is (probably obviously) from the cookbook, and the one on the right is my bread.  Also, at the suggestion of one of my awesome blog readers, we had this for french toast for supper.  The bread was 2 days old, and it was perfect french toasting bread.  You know how some bread gets really soggy and gross when you try to use it for french toast?  Well, this one did not.  Used 7 farm fresh eggs from my friend Lisa, 1/2 cup of half and half, a generous sprinkling of cinnamon, and almost the whole loaf of bread (minus two pieces that I toasted at work last night...).  Mmmmmm great supper.  Thank you for the idea Karen!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

I bought this bag of Hershey's butterscotch chips at Christmas time when I had a good coupon, but didn't really have a use for them in mind.  Today I made the recipe on the bag for these oatmeal cookies.  I have never made these before, although I have eaten them at other people's houses.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour (I used 3/4 cup white and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups quick cooking or regular oats (I used quick)
1 3/4 cups (1 bag) butterscotch chips

Heat oven to 375.  Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl until well blended.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.  Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture, beating until well blended.  Stir in oats and butterscotch chips, mixing well (I think this would have been crazy hard without my Kitchen Aid).  Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool slightly; remove to wire racks to cool completely.  About 4 dozen cookies.

The kids really liked them.  Nathan was sure they were caramel cookies, and Emma asked me if I put syrup in them.  Sam said 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.  Those are some good reviews.  I didn't like them as well as oatmeal raisin, but those are my favorite favorite, so I didn't expect to.

Company Pot Roast

And we had company.  Perfect.  My parents just got back from a Bahamas cruise, and they have my niece for her school vacation.  So they came over and so did Grampie.  I love a good meat-and-potatoes meal.  And I love when my parents bring me presents.  They brought me a Bahamas apron (which they made me wear for the duration of the meal prep) and some Bahamian spices (curry and crushed red pepper) and a Bahamian coffee cup.  I got a pretty good haul, I would say. So this recipe is from Simple & Delicious.  I have a few other pot roast recipes, but this one sounded a little different and still yummy.

Company Pot Roast
1 boneless beef chuck roast (3-4 lbs)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup sherry or beef broth (of course I used broth...veggie broth though because it's what I always have in the freezer)
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce (I always have regular...but the gravy this made was quite salty, so if you have low sodium I would use it)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp beef bouillon granules
1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)(?? but I did it...)
8 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
6 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

Brown roast in oil on all sides in a Dutch oven; drain.  Combine the sherry or broth, soy sauce, sugar, bouillon, and cinnamon stick; pour over roast.

Cover and bake at 325 for 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender, adding the carrots, potatoes, and onion during the last 30 minutes of cooking (this 30 minutes has fooled me before...it always takes longer than that.  I put my veggies in for the last hour).

Remove meat and veggies to a serving platter; keep warm.  Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into pan.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Serve with roast and vegetables.

We had this with the French Onion Dinner Rolls I posted near the beginning of this month.  Also some corn and extra potatoes to stretch the meal a bit more since we had so many eaters.  My mom brought brownies and ice cream for dessert.  A very full meal.  Nathan asked if it was Thanksgiving.  The meat was tender and delicious.  I could taste a hint of the cinnamon, and it wasn't unpleasant.  My mom had never heard of adding a cinnamon stick either.  But it was yummy.  Grampie loved it too.  He will eat anything, but is especially blessed by meat and potatoes.  All leftovers went to him.  And he said "let's do this again soon."  

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Poppy Seed Pecan Muffins

These are definitely grown-up muffins.  I almost didn't make them because I didn't think the kids would like them.  But they sounded so good to me!  Mostly because I love pecans.  We had this for supper with cheesy eggs, bacon, sausage, and home fries.  A regular breakfast feast.  From Simple & Delicious.

Poppy Seed Pecan Muffins
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
2 cups flour (I used 1 cup white, 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tbsp poppy seeds

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Stir in milk and orange peel.  Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in another bowl.  Add to creamed mixture and stir just until moistened.  Stir in the pecans, raisins, and poppy seeds.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.  Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack.  Serve warm (and with butter, of course).

I knew Steve and I would like these.  I thought the two older kids would try them and not like them.  And I thought Nathan would not even try.  So we sat down to dinner, Nathan peels the paper off his muffin, says, "What kind is this?  Chocolate chip?  Blueberry?" and before I could answer, he takes a bite.  So the other kids also want to know what kind of muffin this is.  So I say they have golden raisins in them.  Nathan eats about half the muffin before he gets a bite he doesn't like (not sure if the offender was a pecan or a golden raisin) and then refused to eat the rest.  But I thought that was pretty good!  And Emma really really liked these.  She's the only one who had two.  So I'm not sure if we'll have these again.  It was a strange combination of flavors.  But they were pretty good.

Cinnamon-Apple Crisp

Of course I've made apple crisp before.  And blueberry crisp.  But the topping on this one sounded so yummy.  It doesn't have oatmeal in it like most "crisp" recipes.  It's flour based.  But also it's not so much flour that this is a cobbler, really.  It's from Simple & Delicious, and I made it for home fellowship last Friday.

Cinnamon-Apple Crisp
6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (took no time at all with the help of my friend Barbie)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter
Topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 egg, lightly beaten
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Combine apples, sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Transfer to an 11x7 inch baking dish (I used an apple crisp dish that my mother in law gave me for my birthday 2 years ago.  It's apple shaped, even); dot with butter.

For topping, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and nutmeg in another large bowl.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in egg just until moistened; sprinkle over filling.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 40-45 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender.  Serve warm with ice cream and/or whipped cream.

This was so good!  The apples were sweet and perfect.  Probably you could make this with way less sugar, but I'm not going to.  Definitely keeping it!

Monday, February 11, 2013

French Onion Pan Rolls

We had this with a tried and true soup recipe that my kids always love (Farmhouse Ham Chowder).  I still have a lot of that frozen bread dough from a friend, so these recipes are a good way to use it.  From Simple & Delicious.

French Onion Pan Rolls
2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/2 cup butter, melted

Divide dough into 20 portions on a lightly floured surface; shape each into a ball (fun for the kids to help with, as long as they have not recently been petting cats).  Combine cheese and soup mix in a small bowl.  Roll each dough ball in butter, then roll in the cheese mixture.  Arrange in greased 9x13 baking dish.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from dish to wire racks.

I knew Nathan wouldn't like these so I left two out for him without any "stuff" on them.  Everyone else thought these were great.  I probably didn't need to/shouldn't have split them and spread more butter on the insides, but that's what I did.  Very yummy and easy too.  Also I used wheat bread dough, which isn't always as popular, so the added ingredients helped.  Not that these are healthy by any stretch.  But unhealthy plus fiber is better than unhealthy without it  =o)