Meaty Corn Bread Casserole

Hello! This is what we had for supper tonight. I am posting it now, so as to get it in under the wire (because tomorrow is a new month). This was pretty good, kind of like a jazzed up shepherd's pie. Steve loves anything topped with cornbread (or just anything, really) so this was a big hit...it's from (can you guess?) Simple & Delicious jan/feb '08.

Meaty Corn Bread Casserole
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
1 3/4 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 cup water
1 envelope brown gravy mix
1 pkg (8.5 oz) corn bread/muffin mix
1 tbsp real bacon bits
1 1/2 tsp pepper (I used less, this seemed like a lot)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 envelope country gravy mix (I left this out. 1 gravy seemed like enough, and this one was just garnish)

In a large skillet, cook ground beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the corn, water, and brown gravy mix. Bring to a boil; cook and stir x 1 minute or until thickened. Spoon into a greased 8 inch square baking dish. Prepare corn bread batter by pkg directions; stir in the bacon bits, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread over meat mixture. Bake, uncovered, @ 400 for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into cornbread layer comes out clean. Meanwhile, prepare country gravy mix according to pkg directions; serve with casserole. 6 servings.

I think if I make this again (and I probably will) I will double the recipe and put it in a 9x13 baking dish. It was enough for all of us, but there were no leftovers, and I like to have leftovers to put in Steve's lunch. Well, technically he puts them in his own lunch, because I don't pack his lunches. Do you think that's bad? So, Sam said this was really good, not quite as good as the usual shepherd's pie, but close. I also thought it was very tasty. I already told you what Steve thought. Nathan wouldn't touch it, and Emma, when it was set before her, said "What IS this?" and proceeded to have much complaining and tears at dinner. But 3 out of 5 is still a majority, so it wins.

Chocolate Silk Pie

Terri, don't read this (she doesn't like chocolate). I made this yesterday afternoon, and it was SO GOOD!! Now I have had chocolate cream pie before, and I have made chocolate cream pie before, but this was by far the best. It tasted like something you would pay $4.95 for after your meal at a restaurant (not even a fast food one). Now, I am not bragging because I did not think up this recipe, I only followed directions and made it. But this was INCREDIBLE. So rich and yummy. Everyone liked it except poor Nathan who couldn't have any. He's allergic to chocolate. He and Terri are starting a support group. BTW, it's from Simple and Delicious. I have liked almost everything I have made from this magazine. Hopefully Mom will renew my subscription =). Even though Taste of Home was good, it wasn't this good. They had like featured ingredients every month, and sometimes it was like pages and pages of asparagus recipes.

Chocolate Silk Pie
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme (not Fluff)
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 squares (1 oz each) unsweeted chocolate (you should chop this. It doesn't say to, but it took a really really long time for them to melt)
2 tbsp strong brewed coffee (I just did 2 tbsp water, because I didn't have any coffee. And Steve doesn't like it. It was still a fabulous pie even with just water)
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp confectioners' sugar
chocolate curls, optional (I left these off)

Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Bake @ 450 for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, combine the marshmallow creme, chocolate chips, butter, chocolate squares, and coffee. Cook and stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool (this took like 20 minutes for it to cool). Fold in the whipped cream; pour into the crust. For topping, in a large mixing bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over filling. Refrigerate at least 3 hours until serving (we couldn't wait. We wanted it before church, so ours chilled for like 2 1/2 and it was ready by then). Garnish with chocolate curls if desired.

We are definitely keeping this one. It was sooooo good. If you like chocolate at all, you'll like this. We're having the rest after supper tonight. At least, we told Steve we would save it for then...we'll see if the kids and I can wait....

Kielbasa Bow Tie Skillet

We had this one last week. Crazy. I have not been able to sit down here long enough to put it in. It was quite good. I like almost anything with kielbasa, even though I usually have indigestion afterword, it tastes so yummy that I don't mind. And, it even has sugar snap peas in it, which I made, and ATE. I thought I would just try one to be a good example, but they really taste more like green beans. I will not say that I liked them, but that I didn't hate them. So that is progress.

Kielbasa Bow Tie Skillet
8 oz uncooked bow tie pasta
1 pound fully cooked kielbasa, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 jar (4 1/2 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained (I left these out)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen sugar snap peas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the sausage, mushrooms, and garlic in butter. Combine cornstarch and milk until smooth; gradually add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Drain pasta; add to sausage mixture. Stir in the peas and cheese; cook until cheese is melted. 4 servings.

So everybody liked various parts of this. Steve & I ate all of it; the kids each had their favorite parts. Emma didn't like the peas although she did have two bites. I tried to tell them it was like macaroni and cheese and hot dogs but they weren't buying it. Sam did eat his, though. So we're keeping this one.

Raisin Sauce for Pound Cake

This is what we had for dessert last night. It sounds a bit odd, and uses store bought pound cake, but it was quite good, and the "presentation" looked very restraunt-y. Quite exciting. So this dessert would look nice if you had company or something coming. I was making a meal last night for a family with a new baby, so I doubled the sauce so we'd have enough. But I doubled everything but the water! I didn't realize it until I was copying the recipe down in my keeper book. But, I think it's okay, because it came out the texture of like caramel syrup, and maybe it would have been too runny otherwise? I don't know, but here's the recipe (in it's not-doubled format). Oh, it's from Simple & Delicious Jan/Feb '08.

Raisin Sauce for Pound Cake
1/2 of frozen pound cake (obviously you would use the whole thing if you're doubling)(I used Sara Lee. Because nobody doesn't like Sara Lee)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
1 cup water
2 tbsp raisins
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp maple flavoring (I didn't have this so I left it out)

Using a serrated knife, cut pound cake in half length-wise. Slice one half into slices and leave on plate to thaw. Put the other half back in the freezer for another use. In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except vanilla & maple and stir until smooth (I used a whisk...that flour gets lumpy right at first). Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook & stir 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and maple. Put cake on dessert plates, top each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and drizzle sauce over all.

This was a yummy dessert, a nice change from the usual (which at our house is nothing for dessert). Sam and Emma both said it was their favorite cake, even though Emma didn't have the sauce. She and Nathan both just had the cake plain but they liked it. Sam said the sauce was really good. And Steve and I both liked it, too.

Jerk Chicken Nachos

I know we all have eaten this recipe at a Pampered Chef party in recent months, but I wanted to post it, because it was in the winter catalog, which is gone now, and I made them at Jessica's house on Saturday and was reminded of how scrumptious they are. So I wanted us to all have access to the recipe. Don't let the title fool you, you can eat these nachos even if you are not a jerk.

Jerk Chicken Nachos
6 cups tortilla chips (which ends up being about 3/4 of a big bag)
3 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken (shredded tastes better. Gets more seasoning on it)
2 cups shredded colby/jack cheese
2 tbsp Jamaican Jerk Rub, divided (Steve says Pampered Chef does not have the market on jerk seasoning, and that you can buy it other places. Not sure if that's true, or if it would be as good. But it is something to keep in mind in case they stop making it)
1 small yellow or red pepper, diced
1 lime
2 tbsp fresh cilantro (I haven't ever used this and it's still great)
1/4 cup sour cream and 1 tsp additional jerk rub (optional)(not for me)

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange tortilla chips in slightly overlapping layer on large round stone (or cookie sheet). Combine chicken, cheese, and 1 tbsp of the rub, mix gently. Sprinkle chicken mixture evenly over chips. Bake 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven. Meanwhile, cut lime in half. Juice half of the lime into small bowl, add bell pepper and other tbsp of rub. Snip cilantro. Slice remaining half of lime. Spoon bell pepper mixture over nachos; sprinkle evenly with cilantro. If desired, combine sour cream and additional jerk rub in a small plastic bag, snip corner and pipe sour cream over nachos (I don't like it so we skipped this part). Garnish with lime slices.

So now we all can have this yummy recipe. Talk to you guys soon!!

Peanut Butter Jumbos

I made these cookies yesterday morning. I had a couple extra kids here, so everyone was occupied, so I took the chance to make these. I don't like the name. Because they weren't very big, really. But they do have a variety of ingredients, so maybe that's what "jumbo" about them, I don't know. These are from Simple & Delicious also, Jan/Feb '08.

Peanut Butter Jumbos
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup M&M's miniature baking bits

In a large mixing bowl, cream peanut butter, butter, and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine oats and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and baking bits. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake @ 350 for 12-14 minutes or until edges are browned. Remove to wire racks. 9 dozen (if you make elf-sized cookies. I got about 6 dozen. And mine weren't that big, either. Certainly not jumbo).

So these did not flatten out like I thought they would. I used my large pampered chef scoop, which is the same scoop I use for all of my cookies, and they basically stayed mounded up like that, instead of spreading out. But the recipe doesn't say to smoosh them with a fork, like you do for other peanut butter cookie recipes. But in the picture, theirs are flat. So I'm not sure what happened there. Maybe I overmixed, since I used my sweet Kitchen Aid mixer. But they were still good, everyone still liked them.

Lemon Teriyaki Chicken with Three Cheese Garlic Bread

Hi girls! This is what we had last night for supper. It's from Simple & Delicious. And actually it was good. It's part of a menu they provided, and I made 2 out of 3. The third thing was Broccoli with Smoked Almonds. I just didn't make that because Steve doesn't like nuts. That's the only reason =). Yesterday was a pretty prolific day for me, since I made new cookies too, which I will put in a separate post. So here's the chicken first...

Lemon Teriyaki Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (by the soy sauce at the Walmart)
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp minced garlic (see, even with a garlic press I am still going to have to use garlic in a jar sometimes)
1/2 tsp sugar

Flatten chicken to 1/2 inch thickness (I never do this. It's just too messy and loud. And it always turns out fine); coat with flour. In a large skillet, cook chicken in butter over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm (you don't have to like cover them or anything. They'll be on the plate for like a minute). Add the teriyaki sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and sugar to the skillet; stir to loosen browned bits. Return the chicken to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. 4 servings.

See how easy? I like saucy sticky chicken like this. It was quite tasty. Emma and Nathan didn't like it, but you can't judge by them really. The older Pages found it to be very yummy. So this is a keeper. And we had it with Uncle Ben's rice in a bag...the kind that takes 90 seconds in the microwave. That wasn't as good, but I had a coupon, so I have 3 more to use up...We also had it with this bread.

Three Cheese Garlic Bread
1 loaf unsliced Italian bread
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp worcestershire sauce
dash paprika and pepper (I was rushing and left these out accidentally. Still yummy)

Cut bread in half width-wise; cut one half in half again length-wise. Save remaining bread for another use (I stuck my other half in the freezer, because I'm sure we'll have this again). In a small mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spread evenly over cut sides of bread. Place on baking sheet. Bake @ 400 for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted. Slice and serve warm.

So this was quite good as well. We love garlic bread, but it's so expensive to buy it already made, and there is too much for one family, and not that good for you either. But, I bought 9-grain Italian bread (didn't even know it existed) and put only these ingredients on. So it was definitely a good alternative. Or altern, if you prefer.

Beef Bunburgers

Really they mean sloppy joes. But maybe that name is trademarked or something. So this is what we had last night. Traditionally Steve hasn't really loved sloppy joes. He thinks they are too sloppy. Seriously. But this had some different ingredients, and I had never seen a recipe for them that didn't involve a can of Manwich. So this is from Better Homes & Gardens, which seems a bit odd that a traditional white trash meal like sloppy joes would be in a cookbook like this, but there it was. Anyway...

Beef Bunburgers
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1 10 3/4 oz can condensed tomato soup
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp poultry seasoning (?)
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/4 tsp salt
6 to 8 hamburger buns, split and toasted

In large skillet cook ground beef, onion, and green pepper until beef is brown and onion is tender. Drain well. Stir in the soup, vinegar, dry mustard, poultry seasoning, thyme, and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until desired consistency. Serve on toasted hamburger buns. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

So this was okay but not great. Steve and Sam ate all theirs, Emma ate a few bites under duress. I ate most of mine. It just wasn't anything exciting. So try it if you want. Talk to you soon!!

Ground Beef Spiral Bake

Hi girls. This is what we had last night. It's from Simple & Delicious jan/feb 2008. I liked it because you make 2 casseroles at once, then eat one and freeze the other one for later. Plus, the chick that sent it in spells her name with a "K" just like me. So I thought I would try it. And it was okay. I did put one in the freezer for later, so when we defrost and eat it I will amend this entry to say how it tasted after freezing and thawing.

Ground Beef Spiral Bake
1 pkg (16 oz) spiral pasta
2 lbs ground beef
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
2 jars (28 oz each) spaghetti sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook the beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, basil, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes. Stir (drained) pasta into meat mixture. Transfer to two greased 9x13 baking dishes. Sprinkle each with 2 cups of cheese. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Bake the second casserole, uncovered, @ 350 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. To use frozen casserole: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

So this was okay. I wished we had had garlic bread to go with it. Instead, I had made banana bread yesterday in the afternoon, and Emma really wanted a piece with her supper. So Steve was like, let's just have it. So, as weird as it sounds, we had this with...banana bread. It was a different combination, to be sure. The pasta was good, but not great. Nothing to write home about anyway. Even though I just did. =)

Addendum: Tonight 4/28 we had the defrosted version of this casserole. It tasted pretty much like the original, even though I was under the impression that pasta wouldn't freeze and defrost well. I was wrong. So not a bad idea if you have stuff coming up, like a hip replacement or something, that you want to stockpile homemade food for.

Yankee Doodle Stew with Vegetables

Hi girls. This is what we had for supper tonight! Can you believe I'm posting something less than 4 hours after making and eating it? I can't. But there's nothing on TV. So we had some stew beef from a farm cow in our freezer so when I came across this recipe I decided to try it. I liked that it used a lot of spices which I don't usually use, which I paid $3.69 for for one recipe, and have since sat in the cupboard. These will be marked with an asterisk (*) so you know which ones they are. My m-i-l says that paprika and one other one can get worms in them if you keep them too long. I did not know that. Wish I could remember the other one. So this recipe is from the Better Homes & Gardens 75 years of favorites etc.

Yankee Doodle Stew with Vegetables
1/4 cup flour
2 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 inch pieces (not sure if this is the same as stew beef or not. I bet not, since this is Bettah Homes & Gahdens, it's probably like the most expensive meat cut)
3 tbsp cooking oil
4 cups water
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced (I used garlic in a jar. Even though I have my garlic press now, I want to use up what I have)
2 bay leaves*
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt (this was definitely not enough)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika*
dash ground allspice* (a dash is like 1/16 of a tsp)
6 tiny new potatoes, halved (??? this is March. I'm pretty sure there's no new potatoes yet. Any in the store would be like a year old right now. I just used red skinned potatoes, so I didn't have to peel them. A big shout-out to my mom for delivering them today)
6 medium carrots, quartered
1 pound of boiling onions (I did not buy these. But you can. See note at the end of the recipe for what to do with them if you're interested)
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp cold water
1/4 dry sherry, optional (I just drank this, didn't put it in the stew. Ha ha just kidding. I left it out)
snipped parsley, optional (again, I opted to omit)

Place 1/4 cup flour in plastic bag. Add meat, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. In a kettle, brown meat, 1/3 at a time, in hot oil (I did the flour thing for like 6 pieces of meat then gave up. It was messy in the extreme, also made the oil spatter a lot, and I was like "never mind". I just browned all the rest of it without coating with flour first. I don't know if this made a big difference or not). Drain meat well. Return all meat to the kettle. Add the 4 cups of water, chopped onion, garlic, and bay leaves to meat. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, salt, peppper, paprika, and allspice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is nearly tender (I only did 1 hr 15 mins. I think stew beef is never "nearly tender", anyway. That's why it's the part of the cow they use for stew). Add the potatoes, carrots, and boiling onions. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes more or until vegetables are tender (mine took 30). Discard bay leaves (if you can find them. If not, they'll turn up later). Remove meat and vegetables to serving dish (guess what I used? My two big bowls were dirty so I used my new trifle dish. It looked a bit silly but served the purpose. I didn't use the stand though). Cover and keep warm. For gravy, in a small bowl combine the 1 tbsp of flour and 2 tbsp cold water, mix until smooth. Stir into the mixture in kettle. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute longer. If using, stir in sherry (if you have any left). Pour gravy over meat and vegetables. Sprinkle with parsley, if using. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Here's the note about the boiling onions: To make peeling the boiling onions easier, place them in boiling water for 3 minutes; drain. Trim off root ends and gently press the onions to slip the skins off (this just seemed like way too much work for something everyone was going to pick around anyway).

So after this long recipe and effort, it wasn't fabulous. I think part of the problem was the meat, which is always a bit too tough when you use stew beef. But I am very thankful that it was given to us anyway. And, the broth just didn't seem to want to thicken up. The girls in our family always use cornstarch to thicken rather than flour, but I usually stick to the recipe fairly close the first time, and I had already left out the boiling onions and used garlic in a jar. So I didn't want to deviate too far. Maybe it wasn't enough flour, I don't know. Of course I didn't want it to be thick like gravy, but a little stew-ier rather than soup-ier would have been nice. And we had no bread to sopp it up, because I baked a quick bread from a Pampered Chef mix (Good Company Beer Bread Mix) that has been in my cupboard for years. Seriously. And it smelled good while it was baking, but had a terrible taste to it. So I threw it away (and you know it's bad if Duke Frugal allows that). And, horror of horrors (for Emma), the potatoes had SKIN on them! This was terrible. She did not know this existed. Shades of grandpa, peeling his red potato. Except I had to peel them. Oh well. It was a good try, but doesn't make the cut.