Warm Brussels Sprout Slaw With Bacon

3/4 lb thick sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch strips
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 lbs. Brussels Sprouts, thinly sliced in a food processor
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of garlic powder

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook cut bacon over high heat.Stirring until crisp, roughly 6 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towel and save bacon grease.

2. Melt butter into bacon grease

3. Add Brussels in batches if skillet not large enough to cook all of them at once. Add powders to Brussels sprouts. Cook for 8 minutes or until soft, but still maintaining the bright green color.

4. Place cooked Brussels sprouts in a bowl and sprinkle cooked bacon over sprouts and serve warm.




Photo: http://pinchmysalt.com/

Chicken & Dumplings

This is one of my go to meals. Colorado's weather in March bounces back and forth, one day 70 degrees out and the next day, snowing with the high of 20. Very hard to plan meals with this going on and I swear my teenager has a tape worm because he's always hungry and lately have not been making enough to fill his tummy. This is one of those meals that will leave the hungriest guy completely full.

Soup:

3 lbs of chicken thighs ( seems much but remember, you have bones)

4 cloves of garlic, just smashed enough to smell them

1 medium yellow or sweet onion

3 ribs of celery

4 carrots

1 tbsp of onion powder

1 tbsp. Garlic powder

1 tbsp. Salt

1 tsp. Dried basil

5 tbsp. Chicken bouillon, if using the cubes, only 3 of them, but I use better than bouillon's brand.

Dumplings:

1 ½ cup cake flour/ can us all purpose, but the cake flour makes the dumplings more "airy"

1 ½ tsp. Baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp of fresh herbs of your choice ( I like chives)

5 tbsp unsalted butter

¾ tsp sugar

2/3 cup milk

Instructions:

In a dutch oven boil water and place chicken in the boiling water for an hour to 2 hours, depending the thickness of the chicken. Trust me, boiling the chicken will give you the starter broth , and the most moist chicken you will ever taste.

While that is boiling, smash your garlic, dice the onion, slice the carrots and celery into bite size pieces.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, set aside until cool enough to handle and strain the “chicken water” with a fine mesh strainer and save the water, and put back into the pot. Bring back to a boil. You can use 2 forks to tear the chicken apart but I use my hands. Throw away chicken bones and skin. While destroying your chicken, place remaining ingredients for the soup into the dutch oven, return chicken meat into the same pot and cover. Boil until veggies are firm to add the dumplings.

Dumplings:

Sift all dry ingredients, finely chop your choice of herb/s, add the flour mixture. Melt butter and add to milk and mix with the dry. Mixture will thick like paste. I use a cookie scoop to add the dumplings to the soup, or a soup spoon will work fine. Don't make them too big or they will not steam correctly.

Bring the soup to a rolling boil, quickly add the wet dumplings to the soup and cover with lid. Takes 10-15 minutes for the dumplings to steam in the soup. DO NOT lift the lid while cooking, we want the dumplings to steam not boil, boiling them will make them dense and mushy instead airy.

The flour from dumplings should thicken the soup but for some reason it doesn't or you want it thicker, follow the directions for making gravy with corn starch and add until desired thickness.

Enjoy, and if any is left... wait for the soup to cool and refrigerate. Seems even better the second day but we never have leftovers. 

photo:modernskillet.com

Ravioli Dough and fillings

Ravioli Dough (Plain)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup boiling water

Put the flour and salt in a food processor.
Add the butter and pulse until the flour has the texture of rough cornmeal.
With the machine running, slowly add the water.
Gather the dough into a ball and place on a floured surface.
Knead lightly, just until the dough is smooth.
Divide in half and keep one-half covered while you work with the other.

Cheese Ravioli Filling

1 (8 ounce.) container ricotta cheese
4 ounce mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Combine ingredients in a bowl.  Fill rounds of ravioli dough.
Serve with your favorite sauce.

Spinach Ravioli Filling
Use the recipe for cheese ravioli.
Omit the parsley and add 1 cup chopped fresh spinach or frozen spinach that has
been thawed and squeezed dry.

Meat Ravioli Filling

For the diced meat you may combine any 2 types of meat to equal 1/2 pound (pork and
chicken, beef and ham, pork and veal, chicken and prosciutto)
1/2 pound meat diced
1 tablespoon butter
1-1/2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg yolk
Pinch of nutmeg


Sauté onion in butter over medium heat 1-2 minutes.
Add meat and cook until meat loses its raw red or pink color.
Transfer to a food processor and pulse a few times to chop.  Don't  allow it to puree.
Put mixture in a bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Combine well and fill ravioli

Crabmeat Ravioli Filling

1/2 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 (6 ounce) can lump crabmeat
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2-3 tablespoons goat cheese
Salt and pepper


Sauté shallot and garlic in butter and olive oil. 1-2 minutes.
Add crabmeat and basil.  Stir to combine.
Remove from heat.
Stir in goat cheese and salt and pepper to taste.  Fill ravioli.

Chicken Ravioli Filling

2 tablespoons butter
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
8 ounces boneless chicken breast, cubed
2 tablespoons marsala wine
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper


Sauté celery, carrot, and onion in butter about 3 minutes.
Add chicken and sauté 3-4 minutes, until chicken starts to brown.
Add Marsala wine and cook additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.
Put chicken mixture in a food processor and pulse to chop.
Add egg yolk, cheese, salt and pepper.  Fill ravioli.

Mushroom Ravioli Filling

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup prosciutto, chopped
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg
Salt and pepper


Saute onion and garlic in butter 2-3 minutes.
Add mushrooms and sauté until brown and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add prosciutto and cook 1 more minute just to heat through.
Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.  Fill ravioli.  

Potato, Leek, and Bacon Ravioli

12 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 small potatoes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
2 medium leeks, finely chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Peel and cube the potatoes.
Cook in boiling water until cooked through.
Drain and mash the potatoes with a fork.
Set aside.

Heat the oil and bacon in a skillet over medium heat.
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the bacon has rendered its fat but is not crisp.
Add the leeks and cook another 3 minutes until the leeks are wilted.
Add the bacon and leek mixture to the potatoes.
Season with salt and pepper
Add the grated Parmesan cheese and stir to combine all the ingredients.

PHOTO:cookingweekends.blogspot.com

Roasted Garlic

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed. 
 
Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

Other ideas: Can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes, or mixed in with Parmesan and pasta.

Photo: noshtopia.com

Guinness® Corned Beef

4 pounds corned beef brisket

1 cup brown sugar

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Irish stout beer (e.g. Guinness®)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F . Rinse the beef completely and pat dry.

Place the brisket on rack in a roasting pan or Dutch oven. Rub the brown sugar on the corned beef to coat entire beef, including the bottom. Pour the bottle of stout beer around, and gently over the beef to wet the sugar.

Cover, and place in preheated oven. Bake for 2 1/2 hours. Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

An Extra Kick for Adults:

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

Wash the sprouts and dry

Cut the ends off and split the sprouts in half

Mince 1 clove of garlic and 1 shallot

Heat the saute pan on high heat until it is hot. Add a few table spoon of olive oil and place the Brussels sprouts flat side down. Let it saute in the pan without touching it for 1-2 mins to caramelize the bottom

Add a pinch of salt and pepper

Add the minced shallots and garlic Stir or toss the brussels sprouts in the pan to mix

De-glaze the pan a white wine/water/ or in my case I used Sake and Mirin

Cook until the liquid has evaporated, turn the heat off and place a lid over it

For the kids:

During the last hour, you may put vegetables in the roasting pan as well. Try a wedge of cabbage, new potatoes, onion, carrots, etc. You may need to add a little more beer with your vegetables.

Photo: eataduckimust.com

Denver Omelet

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chopped cooked ham 1 medium green pepper
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease round baking dish.
Melt butter in skillet over med-lo heat. Add onion and cook until soft, add ham, cook 2 minutes more.
Beat eggs and milk in bowl. Stir in cheese and add veggies and ham. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer to prepared dish.
Bake 20 minutes or until top is puffy and brown. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Photo:spiritmountain.com

Egg & Cheese Breakfast Burrito

1 flour tortilla (6-in.)
1 egg

1 Tbsp. shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 Tbsp. salsa

Line 2-cup microwave-safe cereal bowl with microwave-safe paper towel. Press tortilla into bowl. Break egg into center of tortilla. Beat egg gently with a fork until blended, being careful not to tear tortilla.
Microwave on HIGH 30 sec.; stir. Microwave until egg is almost set, 15 to 30 sec. longer.
Remove tortilla with paper towel liner from bowl to flat surface. Top egg with cheese and salsa. Fold bottom of tortilla over egg, then fold in sides.

Courtesy of The incredible edible egg™

Bennigan's Ultimate Baked Potato Soup

Yields 8 (1 cup) servings or 4 main dish servings

3 pounds all-purpose potatoes, scrubbed
and pierced in several places
1 tablespoon stick butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Toppings
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Crumbled bacon
Chopped scallions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake potatoes 1 hour or until tender when pierced. Peel when cool enough to handle.

Melt Butter in a 4- to 6-quart pot over medium low heat. Stir in onions and garlic; cover and cook 10 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add 2/3 of the potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Add broth, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Cut remaining potatoes in small cubes. Add to soup and stir gently to reheat. Sprinkle each serving with toppings.

Photo: copykat.com Source: Woman's Day magazine

Tater Tot Casserole

1 1/2 - 2 lbs. ground beef
1meduim onion diced
1 pkg ore Ida crispy crowns or tater tots (32 oz)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8 oz container sour cream
½ cup milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
pepper
season salt
garlic salt

onion powder


Brown ground beef and diced onions, adding, pepper, seasoning salt and garlic salt to taste. Drain. Pour ground beef & onion mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

In a separate bowl blend together the soup, sour cream and milk. Pour the soup mixture over on top of the ground beef layer spread evenly to cover the meat .

Top with tater tots, sprinkle with grated cheese over the entire casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and cheese is completely melted.

Photo: blackmarks.net

Carrot Saute with Ginger & Orange

2 teaspoons  canola oil

3 cups  grated carrots, (6 medium-large)

2 teaspoons  minced fresh ginger

1/2 cup  orange juice

1/4 teaspoon  salt, or to taste

  Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and ginger; cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in orange juice and salt; simmer, uncovered, until the carrots are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with pepper and serve.

From: EatingWell photo: simplyrecipes.com

Twice-Baked Potatoes

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons dairy sour cream

1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives

1/4 cup finely shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese (1 ounce)

Salt

Ground black pepper

Snipped fresh chives (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F. Scrub potatoes thoroughly with a brush; pat dry. Prick potatoes with a fork. Drizzle olive oil over each potato and sprinkle with salt. Wrap each potato in foil. Bake potatoes in the preheated oven about 1 hour or until tender. Remove and discard foil. Let potatoes stand about 15 minutes to cool slightly. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop pulp out of each potato, leaving a 1/4- to 1/2-inch shell; set potato shells aside. Place potato pulp in a large bowl. Mash potato pulp with a potato masher or an electric mixer on low speed until nearly smooth. 

In a 1- to 1-1/2-quart saucepan heat milk and butter over medium heat until butter is melted. Pour milk mixture over mashed potatoes; beat until smooth. Stir in sour cream, the 1 tablespoon snipped chives, and 2 tablespoons of the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mound mixture into reserved potato shells. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place potatoes in a single layer in a 2-quart square baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, in a 400F oven about 20 minutes or until golden brown and heated through. If desired, garnish with snipped chives. Makes 4 servings.

Make-ahead directions: Prepare as directed through Step 2. Place potatoes in a single layer in an airtight container. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours. Before serving, preheat oven to 325F. Place potatoes in a 2-quart square baking dish. Bake, covered, in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes more or until potatoes are golden brown and heated through.

Courtesy: Better Homes and Gardens

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

2 medium baking potatoes

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced

4 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel potatoes and dice into1/2-inch pieces.

Mix olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper in a bowl.

In a small baking pan, toss potatoes with the oil and herb mixture. Bake for 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Sprinkle potatoes with parsley

Serves 4.

Photo:foodphotoblog.com

Overnight Sun-Dried Tomatoes

halve all of the tomatoes in a container of cherry tomatoes. In a large bowl, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Place them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 175 degrees F and bake for 8 hours. If you want to keep them dry, you can store them in a plastic bag. If you want oiled tomatoes, store them in a jar covered with olive oil. They will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Photo: sporkandknife.net

Bruschetta

12 slices, baguette or crostini ,toasted
4 to 5 vine ripe tomatoes chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine oil, basil, garlic,vinegar and salt in a processor, don't puree! Mix with tomatoes and let marinate at least 2 hours (Do not refrigerate; tomatoes will lose their flavor).

Use a slotted spoon to layer on to bread. Serve immediately.

Photo:healthycheapfood.com

Potato Skins

4 medium baking potatoes

1/2 cup shredded Colby cheese

4 tablespoons Oscar Meyer Bacon Bits

1 bunch green onions

1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash potatoes very well, score them with a knife and bake in an oven for one hour.

Remove potatoes and allow them to cool so that you can handle them.

When potatoes are cool, cut them in half and scoop out the "meat" of the potato. Be sure to leave at least 1/4 inch of meat on the skin.

Spray a baking dish with Pam and place the scooped out halves in the pan. Sprinkle the potatoes with cheese, and bacon. Place the potatoes in a 350 degree F oven for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Remove from oven. Chop the tops of the green onion off, and sprinkle them on the potatoes. Serve with sour cream.

Use the hulled out potatoes for some mashed potatoes.

Servings: 2

Source: CopyKat.com photo:www.kelseys.ca