Odds and Ends: Part Deux

Here are more recipes from my favorites book.

Tuscan Parmesan Pillows
2 lb. hamburger
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. parmesan
1/3 c. parsley
2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
Lemon wedges

Mix first 6 ingredients until well blended. Shape into 15-2 inch round patties. Let stand 15 minutes. Heat butter and oil in a large non-stick skillet and cook patties over medium high heat until browned on both sides and no longer pink in the center. Squeeze lemons over patties.



Mushroom Muenster Chicken
3 lb. chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 eggs mixed with 1/2 c. milk
3 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 c. oil
2 tsp. cajun seasoning
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
10 slices Muenster cheese

Dip chicken into egg mixture, then dip in bread crumbs. Cook chicken over medium heat in oil for about 6 minutes or until browned.
Place in a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with cajun seasoning. Top with mushrooms and sliced Muenster. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes.



BBQ Meatballs
2 1/2 lb. hamburger
1 can evaporated milk
2 c. crushed rice cakes
2 eggs
1 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
2 c. ketchup
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. garlic powder


Mix and make into walnut sized balls (I make them about double that size). Put into a 9x13 (may need to use 2 pans). Mix and cook sauce ingredients until sugar dissolves. Pour sauce over meatballs. Bake 1 hour at 350.



Caribbean Jerk Pork Sandwiches
3 lb. pork tenderloin
3 T. caribbean jerk seasoning
1 onion, chopped
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained
1/4 c. ketchup
1/2 c. chicken broth

Rub seasoning over pork loin and place in crockpot. Add other ingredients. Cook on low 9-10 hours. Shred pork with 2 forks. Serve on buns.


I will post more another time!

Odds and Ends

I have a favorite recipe book that I received as a wedding gift almost 19 (gulp--am I that old???) years ago. In this entry, I will be posting some of my favorites from that recipe book. :) Enjoy!!

Santa Fe Soup
1 lb. hamburger, browned and drained
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can Rotel
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can white corn
1 can creamed corn
2 pkgs. taco seasoning
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix

Heat all ingredients together. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream.



Corn Casserole
1 small pkg. Jiffy cornbread mix
1 can corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
8 oz. sour cream (I use fat free)
1 stick butter, melted
1 T. sugar
2 eggs
Mix together and bake in a greased casserole at 350 for 1 hour.




Sausage Roll
2 pkgs. cresent rolls
1 lb. turkey sausage
8 oz. cream cheese (I use reduced fat)
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. dill weed

Cook sausage and drain. Add cream cheese and spices. Roll out cresent rolls side by side, pinching seams together. Spread on sausage mixture. Roll up jelly roll style and wrap in wax paper overnight. Slice and cook at 350 for approximately 20 minutes.




Carmelized Bananas with nuts
8 just ripe bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 c. dark brown sugar
6 T. butter
1 T. boiling water
Vanilla ice cream
honey roasted peanuts

Preheat oven to 400. Arrange bananas, cut side up, in dish. Combine sugar and butter and cook over moderate heat until just melted. Add water and boil for 3 minutes. Pour over bananas. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately with ice cream and peanuts.



Hot Vanilla
4 c. milk (whole is best. Or whole with a combination of half and half or whipping cream)
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
ground cinnamon and cinnamon stick

Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and add honey and vanilla. Ladle into mugs. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve with a cinnamon stick.




Sour Cream Chicken
1 pkg. chicken breasts, each breast halved
1 jar dried beef
1 pkg. turkey bacon
1 c. sour cream (fat free)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (cream of chicken can also be used)
paprika

Wrap each chicken piece in a slice of dried beef, then wrap in turkey bacon. Place in casserole.
Mix sour cream and soup and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 300 for 2 hours.

*Can be easily doubled for a larger crowd.



I will post more from my favorites book soon!
Occupo Victus!
Paula

Tequila Lime Chicken and Enchiladas Blanco

Here's a good one from my best friend.

Tequila Lime Chicken
Marinade:
1 c. water
1/3 c. teriyaki sauce
2 T. lime juice
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. mesquite liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. (or a capful) tequila

4 chicken breasts
1 c. salsa
1 c. rance dressing
Shredded Cheddar cheese

Marinate chicken in the frig for 1 hour, but no longer than 3 hours. Grill chicken. Place in dish. Mix salsa and ranch dressing and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.
Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.





This next recipe is a dish that was brought to me when my husband went to Houston with FEMA to assist people after hurricane Katrina. It is from another close friend.

Enchiladas Blanco
1 lb. hamburger*
chopped onion
minced garlic
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Flour tortillas

Blanco sauce:
3 T. flour
8 oz. sour cream (I use fat free)
2 c. chicken broth
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Cook hamburger with onion and garlic. Drain. Add black beans. Fill flour tortillas and place in a greased 9x13 pan.
Mix flour and sour cream. Add to chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the cheese. Pour sauce over enchiladas. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

*You can also use chicken breast. Also, I add salsa to the hamburger after it's cooked.
This meal can be frozen.

Occupos victus, Mexican style :)
Paula
P.S. More Mexican to come soon.

Quite Possibly the Best Burger Ever

As I sit at the computer, I am eating what is quite possibly the best burger ever. I found the recipe in a magazine several months ago and have made it twice already.
They are a fairly plain burger topped with lots of great stuff--bacon, pimento cheese, honey slaw, and crushed potato chips. YUM!! I always opt out of the bun, and I really don't miss it at all with these. :)

Southern Pimento Cheese Burgers
Pimento Cheese:
1 c. shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 T. mayonnaise
2 T. cream cheese, softened (I use reduced fat or plain yogurt)
2 oz. jar diced pimentos, drained
1 T. bread and butter pickle juice
1/2 T. creamy horshradish sauce
1 tsp. yellow mustard

Honey Slaw:
2 T. mayonnaise
1 T. honey
1 1/4 c. shredded cabbage

Burgers:
1 1/4 lb. ground chuck
1/4 lb. cured and smoked country ham, chopped in a food processor
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 c. water

8 slices bacon, fried
1/2 c. crushed kettle cooked potato chips

Set oven to broil.
Mix all Pimento Cheese ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Mix all Honey Slaw ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Combine beef, ham, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and water in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into patties. Broil 4-5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink.
Serve on hamburger buns, topping with bacon, pimento cheese, honey slaw, and potato chips.

Occupo victus!
Paula

Caramel Layer Choco Squares

Here's the recipe for my husband's favorite dessert. I make it once every couple of weeks for him.

Caramel Layer Choco Squares

1 box German Chocolate cake mix
1 package caramels, unwrapped*
2/3 c. evaporated milk, divided
3/4 c. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix cake mix with 1/3 c. evaporated milk and melted butter. Press 1/2 of the dough into a greased 9 x 13 (I use a smaller square casserole dish). Bake for 10 minutes, or until slightly set.
Melt the caramels and 1/3 c. evaporated milk over low-medium heat, stirring frequently.
Pour the melted caramel over the partially cooked cake mix. Sprinkle the remaining cake mix over the caramel. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

*You can buy caramel in the baking aisle that is in the form of little pellets instead of wrapped. They are much easier to melt and it saves time because you don't have to unwrap 50 caramels. :) Also, the original recipe calls for sprinkling chocolate chips over the caramel before the remaining cake mix. I have never done this.

Occupo Victus!
Paula

Peanut Dipping Sauce

Tomorrow is my son's 6th birthday. It is a tradition in our family to take the birthday boy/girl out to eat. Sean has informed us that he wants to go to either Taco Bell, Pizza Inn, or Long John Silver's. I can hardly wait! Our older children usually pick a nicer sit down restaurant, but the boy always takes us someplace quick and cheap. :)
I also let the kids request something for me to cook for them, and tonight Sean picked the chicken from the Cashew Chicken recipe and rice. I didn't feel like eating plain fried chicken, so I made a dipping sauce that I haven't made in years! It's very good and here's the recipe.

Peanut Dipping Sauce
1 can coconut milk
1/4 c. lime juice
2 T. brown sugar
3 T. soy sauce
red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 c. crunchy peanut butter

Heat coconut milk, lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes in a saucepan just to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter.


I have only used it for dipping the chicken, but I think it would also be good with sauteed or grilled pork.

Occupo victus!
Paula

Cashew Chicken and Crab Rangoons

One of my family's favorite meals that I make is Cashew Chicken and Crab Rangoons. I got the Cashew Chicken recipe from a cookbook I received as a wedding gift nineteen years ago called "Recipes from Bonnie's Country Kitchen". The owner of a small canoe rental and campground nearby published it as a fundraiser.
The Crab Rangoon recipe is one that is found in the Nasoya Won Ton Wrapper package.
Enjoy!!

Cashew Chicken
1/2 lb. chicken breast per person
1 egg per lb. chicken
1/2 c. milk per egg
flour
salt and pepper
peanut oil

Sauce:
4 chicken boullion cubes per 2 c. water
4 T. cornstarch
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. oyster sauce
cashews and sliced green onions

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Dip in egg/milk mixture. Flour and deep fry in oil.
Sauce: Dissolve boullion cubes in boiling water. Remove 1/2 c. broth and mix with cornstarch until smooth. Pour back into pan and stir. Add sugar and oyster sauce. Cook to thicken. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve with rice, cashews, and green onions.


Crab Rangoons
3 dozen won ton wrappers
1/2 lb. crabmeat, drained and chopped (I use imitation crab, but only if it's good imitation crab--taste it first)
8 oz. cream cheese (I use light)
1/2 tsp. steak sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg yolk, beaten (I use water)
Combine crabmeat, cream cheese, steak sauce, and garlic powder. Place one heaping teaspoon of this mixture in the center of won ton wrapper. Gather edges together, moisten with egg yolk (or water), and pince to seal. Deep fry in hot oil in bunches until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.


This meal is not what I call healthy, but when it comes to food, I am all for enjoying it and not worrying so much about the calorie count!!! Everything in moderation.
OCCUPO VICTUS!!
Paula

Black Bean Chili Burgers

I've made these twice in the past month or so. They are very good. The avocado and salsa/mayo mixture really make them pop. :)

Black Bean Chili Burgers

2 T. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 lb. lean ground beef
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/3 c. plus 3 T. medium salsa
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. light mayonnaise
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Combine chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin in a small nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from heat.
Mash beans with a potato masher.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, black beans, spice mixture, onion, 1/3 c. salsa, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Coat burgers with nonstick cooking spray. Grill 4 minutes, then flip over and grill another 4 minutes or until an instant read meat thermometer registers 140 degrees in the thickest part of the burger.
Combine 3 T. salsa and mayonnaise.
Serve on toasted buns with the avocado and salsa/mayo mixture.

Occupo victus!!!
Paula

Seize the Food

Upon closing my last post, I realized that I wanted to have a little saying that I use to end each post. I have decided that my little saying is "Seize the Food" in Latin, which according to the English to Latin translator, is Occupo Victus.
I love to eat and the thought of seizing my food excites me. :)
More to come soon.
Occupo Victus!
Paula

Veggie Pull Apart Bread

Two days ago, I set out to make veggie pull apart bread. I've made it many times, but this time in particular, time got away from me and I had to suspend my bread making efforts for the day. I put my dough in the refrigerator, covered it with plastic wrap, punched it down a couple of times Wednesday afternoon, and yesterday morning, I picked up where I left off. I wasn't sure what to expect because I've never left yeast dough in the frig for that long, but it turned out very well!!
The recipe was in a Quick Cooking magazine several years ago and I double it. This is the doubled recipe.

Veggie Pull Apart Bread
3 T. butter, melted
1 c. very warm water
1 c. sour cream, room temperature (I use light or fat free)
6 T. sugar
1 T. salt
5 1/2-6 c. flour*
1 T. yeast
Vegetable mixture:
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped green pepper
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Place butter, water, sour cream in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt, 2 c. flour, and yeast. Mix dough on medium setting with dough hooks. Add flour to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Continue kneading with dough hooks for 6-7 minutes.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute celery, green pepper, and onions in butter. Remove from heat and stir in bacon and cheese.
Punch down dough and divide into 36 balls. Dip into the vegetable mixture. Place in a 9 inch fluted tube pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

*When I bake, I usually grind wheatberries and use the flour for part of my recipe. This one in particular has 2 c. of freshly ground wheat flour. The rest is all purpose flour.

Paula

Fish Tacos

Last year, my mother-in-law took my sisters-in-law and me to Hawaii to celebrate her 70th birthday. On the evening we flew home, we visited a little mexican restaurant in Kahului, not far from the airport. I had fish tacos there and they were DELICIOUS!!!
This week, I have been thinking a lot about Hawaii. It's cold, snowy, and just nasty in general here, so that's where my mind has traveled. I found a fish taco recipe on allrecipes.com that I tried out. They didn't really taste like the ones in Maui, but they were good and definitely worth posting!

Fish Tacos
1 c. flour
2 T. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. beer

1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tsp. minced capers
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1/2 tsp.-1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 qt. oil for frying
1 lb. cod fillets, cut into 1 inch cubes
12 oz. pkg. corn tortillas
1/2 head cabbage finely shredded*

White sauce: In a medium bowl mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in lime juice, then season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.

Beer batter: In a large bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture.

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375.

Dust fish lightly with flour. Dip into beer batter and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Lightly fry tortillas, but not too crisp.
To serve, place fish in tortilla, top with shredded cabbage, and white sauce.

*When I made mine, I sauteed the cabbage for a few minutes in bacon grease. Everything is better with bacon. ;)


Bon appetite!!
Paula, aka Polar Bear

New Blog!!

This is my new blog dedicated to FOOD!!!
I will be posting recipes, my critiques of recipes I've tried, and anything else related to food that I feel like blogging about.
ENJOY!!!
Paula :)