Cheese Batter Bread

So here was my foray into loaf making for the week. This is a batter bread, which my TOH cookbook instructs me is "beaten with an electric mixer to help give the bread a better texture. Because these breads are not kneaded, it is important to beat them until the batter comes away from the bowl and appears to be stringy." There is your bread-making lesson for today. Oh also it says they are best served the day they are made. So I was already planning to make this for this week, we were going to have it with soup, but then we had people coming over last night for dinner so I made chicken and potatoes and we had this bread to go with it as well. It smelled so so so good while it was baking. I was concerned when it didn't rise in the pan the way bread usually does, but when it was baking it finished up and came out perfect-o. The recipe is from TOH pg 458 (if you are mom or Jess who have this cookbook).

Cheese Batter Bread
1 pkg (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1 cup warm (110-115 degrees) chicken broth
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 egg, beaten
3 cups flour, divided
1 1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar (I just used regular shredded because that's what I had and it was fine)
onion salt, optional

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm broth. Add the sugar, butter, salt, poultry seasoning, egg, and 1 cup of flour; beat until smooth. Add 1 cup of the cheese and the remaining flour, stir for 1 minute. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Stir the batter about 25 strokes. Spread evenly into greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and onion salt, if desired. Bake @ 375 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

So this was pretty good. Our friend Josh had 2 pieces, so you know it wasn't just to be polite, because if you're just being polite you just eat 1 piece. So that was good. I must say the texture wasn't exactly what I had been hoping for, it seemed a little dense. But it did have a good flavor, and my piece was cold by the time I started eating it so maybe if it was warm it would have been better, I don't know. So I will keep this one to try again, with soup for real, next time.

Apple-Glazed Pork Chops

We had this for dinner on Monday night. It was in a section of the Simple & Delicious magazine for indoor grills. Well, we have a George Foreman grill that I got at a yard sale when I was pregnant with Nathan and we hadn't used it yet (so it's been 3 years in my cupboard). So I thought this would be a good recipe to try it out on. It's from S&D Jan/Feb 2009.

Apple-Glazed Pork Chops
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
4 boneless pork chops
2 tbsp apple jelly

Combine the first eight ingredients; rub over both sides of pork chops. Cook in batches on an indoor grill coated with cooking spray for 5 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat jelly until warmed; brush over pork chops. 4 servings.

So Steve really liked these, I thought they were okay. They were just too seasoned for the kids. They weren't spicy, just extremely flavorful. The kids thought they were spicy; I think the paprika that turned the chops red made them think it was spicy. And let me tell you why this George Foreman grill was in a yard sale: They are awful to clean. I sprayed it with cooking spray like it said to do...still the stuff got so caked on it was ridiculous. Oh, and by the way you cannot immerse it in water because of the cord. So you just have to tilt it over the sink and try to scrub it that way. I almost threw it away. If Steve hadn't been right there I would have. It would have been a disposable grill. We throw away stuff more sophisticated than that after just one use at the hospital, plus I got the grill for free so we would have been out nothing. But it goes against Steve's nature to throw away anything (really he is such a packrat) that there was no way he was going to let me throw away a working appliance. He even tried to be helpful and chip off the black stuff with one of those pampered chef scrapers. All that did was get black chips all over the counter and the floor that I had just mopped. I told him to stop stop STOP and he did and just let me finish it. I will keep the grill, until he is not looking, but I will not keep this recipe.

Fried Chicken Tenders with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

We had this for supper tonight. I was hopeful that it would be a way to get Nathan to eat actual chicken, rather than chopped/pressed/formed chicken nuggets, even if they were fried. Plus the picture made them look really good. It's from S&D Jan/Feb 2009.

Fried Chicken Tenders
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-in. strips
1 pkg (8oz) sesame crackers, crushed (about 4 cups)
1/4 to 1/2 cup canola oil
1 envelope chicken gravy mix, optional

In a shallow bowl, combine eggs and water. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then coat with cracker crumbs. In an electric skillet, heat oil to 375 (I don't have an electric skillet, I just used my regular skillet on medium heat). Fry chicken strips, a few at a time, for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Meanwhile, prepare gravy mix according to pkg directions, if desired. Serve with chicken strips. 4 servings

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
2 cups water
3 tbsp butter
1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder (I hate ranges like this. I used 3/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup milk
2 cups mashed potato flakes

In a large saucepan combine water, butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Add milk. Stir in potato flakes with a fork. 4 servings.

So make sure you crush the crackers to a powder (kinda like that Bible verse) because if you keep big chunks, they will not stick to the chicken. This was one problem I had. Another one is that my chicken wasn't all the way defrosted, so I think that may have had an impact on how well the crumbs stuck. I would say only about half of each piece actually had cracker stuck to it. As for the frying, of course it was an unhealthy option, but I thought if the kids would eat it, it would be protein, and you can't take that away from it, regardless of what you are adding to it. But of course, Emma and Nathan wouldn't eat it. Samuel did, but he eats almost anything anyway so that doesn't even count. So the chicken recipe I won't save because it was a lot of work, plus I had to buy the crackers special for it, and the 2 little ones didn't even like it. The potatoes were pretty good, for fake potatoes. I will keep that recipe to use as a last minute thing, or when I don't know what to make for supper, or something. Because I usually do have those flakes on hand. And I actually really like fake potatoes, even though that is a little crazy of me. My sister and I used to make huge portions of fake potatoes and fake gravy for lunch when we used to be home alone at lunch times, like during the summer and stuff. So yummy. So it's like comfort food to me. Anyway that's the story for tonight. And can you believe I got it posted within 2 hours of eating it?

Mostaccioli Casserole

We had this on Sunday after church. I just like pasta (except not spaghetti) so that's why we tried this one. Also I liked that it made 2 casseroles, so I could put one in the freezer for them while I'm gone. It's from S&D Jan/Feb 2009.

Mostaccioli Casserole
1 pkg (16 oz) mostaccioli (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste penne rigate, because it looked almost like mostaccioli but with lines, and had more fiber and calcium than plain pasta)
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/4 cups chopped green pepper (I left this out)
1 cup chopped onion
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
3/4 ts pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, soup, italian seasoning and pepper. Drain pasta. Add pasta and 1 1/2 cups cheese to beef mixture. Transfer to two greased 11x7 in baking dishes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake remaining casserole @ 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. To use frozen casserole: thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake @ 350 for 50-60 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 2 casseroles, 6 servings each.

So anyway this was very easy. It's pretty hard to mess up a pasta dish like this, I think. Of course Nathan was not interested but the other two kids ate theirs. Steve and I had the leftovers yesterday at work. So it's a keeper. Not that it's really a unique recipe, but it was yummy. The cheddar cheese soup, although an unhealthy addition, was tasty. We had this with garlic bread as well.

Buttermilk Pot Roast and Deluxe Corn Muffins

So this is what we had last night. I have had a roast in the freezer from the farm for I don't know how long, so when I saw this recipe I thought it would be a good time to use it up. This is from a Taste of Home Magazine (Dec/Jan '09). My mil moved to FL and had the address for them changed to my house. But I have to save them for her, so I can't write in them and cut them up like I do with my Simple & Delicious ones. The muffin recipe was right next to the pot roast recipe, that's why 2 recipes in one night.

Buttermilk Pot Roast
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 boneless beef chuck roast, about 3 1/2 pounds (ours was actually a rump roast)
4 1/2 tsp onion soup mix
1/4 tsp pepper
8 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
8 medium carrots, halved (I just bought those baby carrots that are ready to eat and dumped a bunch in)
8 small onions, cut into wedges
1 cup buttermilk

Spread mustard over roast; place in a dutch oven. Sprinkle with soup mix and pepper. Arrange vegetables around roast; pour buttermilk over the top. Cover and bake @ 350 for 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Transfer meat and vegetables to serving platter and keep warm. Skim fat from drippings; bring to a boil. Cook until liquid is reduced to 1 cup (like you can tell that by looking but whatever); serve with beef and vegetables.

So this pot roast had a tang I didn't really care for. I think it must have been the buttermilk. I think buttermilk is kind of like sour milk. Hold on I'm going to google it.......yep. Straight from a Taste of Home website, it says you can substitute vinegar or lemon juice with milk if you don't have buttermilk, and I already know that makes sour milk, because in my mom's pancake recipe it calls for "sour milk" and that's what you do to make it. So anyway it gave the roast a tang that tasted off to me. The vegetables had a similar taste. It wasn't bad, really, just like an undertaste that was like "hmmmm, is the meat bad? I mean I've had it in the freezer for awhile but it's cold down there..." etc. Then I remembered that buttermilk is sour milk. So I don't know. I'm not keeping this recipe. Whose idea was it ever to cook with sour milk to begin with? Probably a frugal housewife ages ago was like "well I'm not wasting this milk even if it has gone sour" and now it appears in a bunch of recipes.

Deluxe Corn Muffins
1 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (does TOH own stock in it?)
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup whole kernel corn
Honey butter:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 to 3 tbsp honey

In a large bowl, combine first 6 ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the egg, egg yolk, buttermilk, and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in corn. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake @ 400 for 18-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. In a small bowl, beat butter and honey until blended. Serve with muffins.

The kids were excited about muffins, because they love carbs (like me). Sam ate his, and with his mouth still full of his first bite, said "you didn't tell me it had real corn in it!" I said, they are CORN muffins. But Steve was taken aback as well. It did seem a bit weird, having kernels of corn stuck to your teeth while you're eating a normally delightful muffin. Nathan was happy to peel the muffin paper off of his, but that's as far as he got. Emma did eat hers. I had 2. But I think I will not keep this recipe because the corn was a bit off-putting. But the honey butter was sooo good! That's why I had the 2nd muffin, because I liked the honey butter so well. So that little part I will keep (as if I can't remember butter + honey, but I will forget the proportions so I'll have to put it in my book. Probaby in the appetizer section, I guess).

Cherry Chocolate Pie

I made this for a little scrapbooking get together Autumn had on Friday at her house. Steve is dieting and I am trying to watch what I eat, although I will not call it dieting because then it doesn't work for me. So my new strategy is to make things like this for get togethers, and then we only eat a little of it and not the whole thing. This one is from S&D Jan/Feb 2009.

Cherry Chocolate Pie
11 large marshmallows
1/3 cup milk
3 oz milk chocolate candy bar, chopped
8 oz frozen cool whip, thawed and divided
1 graham cracker pie crust
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

In a large saucepan, combine the marshmallows, milk, and chocolate. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until smooth. Cool completely. Fold 3/4 cup cool whip into chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Top with pie filling and remaining cool whip. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. 8 servings.

So I only refrigerated this for about 2 hours before we ate it, and it was fine. A bit goopy, perhaps, but still fine. I actually didn't have any of this yet because I have not been feeling so great for the past few days, but it got rave reviews. Steve has had two pieces. At the scrapbooking thing were 3 pregnant girls, all of whom ate it. One pregnant girl whom I will not single out had 2 pieces. And this is one who wouldn't eat a donut one time when I brought her one because she was trying to cut back. So this must be good. There is some left, I might have some after lunch today before I go to work but I'm not sure. So anyway I'm definitely keeping this recipe.

Mock Stroganoff & Lemon Green Beans

So I've never had real stroganoff, except for Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff, which I still think isn't real stroganoff, but I thought this sounded good, and it had a picture which I thought looked good, so I decided to try it. It's from S&D Jan/Feb 2009. It sounds really easy. Maybe a little...too...easy.

Mock Stroganoff
3 cups uncooked yolk-free egg noodles
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I left these out. Hate those slimy things. I know I have said that before but it's still true)
1 1/2 cups water
2 envelopes brown gravy mix
2 cups (16 oz) sour cream

Cook noodles according to pkg directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, and shrooms over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in water and gravy mix. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. Drain noodles. Serve with meat mixture. 4 servings.

What is mock about this? I don't know. I didn't like it though. As a rule, I do not like sour cream as a garnish, for example, with nachos. But I have used it as an ingredient in other things and not even noticed, for example in my Yummy Chicken Soup. But I think this was too much sour cream. The kids liked it (well not Nathan) but even Steve agreed it tasted funny. So not keeping this one. The beans were good, though.

Lemon Green Beans
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen cut green beans, thawed
2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp dried minced onion
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp real bacon bits
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Place the beans, water, and onion in a 1-qt microwave safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients. 4 servings.

This is way more than 4 servings, unless your family has like half a plate full of green beans. This recipe I am going to save because everyone liked it except Nathan. He did put one on his fork and think about it, but that's as far as we got