Author: QuiltLady

BROCCOLI BEEF & CHEESE STRATA ~ BLOG 366.296

I don’t remember what book this recipe was adapted from, but I LOVE the servings section! Serves 8-10 people and one dog 😀

BROCCOLI BEEF & CHEESE STRATA
12 slice sourdough bread
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
12 ounce package chopped broccoli, thawed and drained well
1 LARGE shallot, chopped
1/2 pound QUALITY ground beef, browned & crumbled
1 cup small diced ham
1 medium tomato, diced
5 LARGE eggs
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 1/2 cups WHOLE milk

  • Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.
  • Layer half the bread on the bottom of the baking dish.
  • Sprinkle half the cheese over the bread slices.
  • Sprinkle the onions, ham, shallot and tomatoes over the cheese.
  • Top with remaining cheese and bread slices.
  • In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk and seasonings.
  • Pour egg mixture over the layered ingredients.
  • Cover and refrigerate over night.

 

  • Next morning preheat oven to 350°.
  • Bake 40-50 minutes or until baked through and knife comes out clean.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY MENUS & RECIPES week 42 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.295

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEK(END) RECAP

Fall REALLY hit this past week with foggy mornings, a little rain and that cool crisp air in the morning that makes your coffee taste even better and your favorite sweatshirt that much more comfy.

My weekend started on Wednesday with the prep I could do in advance for my charity dinner on Friday at the Eagles. We had Baked Chicken, Creamed Potatoes, Tangy Glazed Carrots and Almond Cherry Poke Cake. My scheduled dinner in support of our charity fund was moved up a week due to another person having COVID, but my team really pivoted and rallied. We raised $250 for the general charity fund! 😀

These ladies make my life more fun and super easy to enjoy the hard work. We charge a nominal fee for the dinner and I donate all the makings for the meal so that it’s all profit for the charity fund. Thank you Diana, Dana, Pam and Lu!

Lu also made a couple fantastic raffle baskets. And a HUGE thank you to Diana for stepping in last minute when Dana took ill. We were also able to raise an additional $200 for St. Jude’s Children’s Foundation from the raffle baskets during our dinner.

Once Friday was out of the way I could enjoy the weekend fully! I’m so glad Dana had her backyard get together last week because it was truly the last “outdoorsy” weekend.

We watched MLB and NFL and NASCAR all weekend peppered with a few outings and meals. All in all we had a VERY relaxing weekend. Having grown up in SO CAL we are lifelong Dodger fans and have enjoyed them in the playoffs for the pennant. We are also RAM fans. So, both of those games were high on our priority watch list. We’re also Chiefs (YAY Jean) and Packers (YAY Carrie) fans. I’ve also been a Lions fan though there are far and few years between to be happy, but this is one of them (sorry Vikings)!

have some friends who are renovating a really cool old historic building and we spent some time with them talking logistics and ideas. I’m really excited for them and their use of the space. I really hope it all comes to fruition the way they envision. I’m so excited for them 😀

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

It’s quite crisp! Fall is definitely here. We had a bit of rain last night through the early hours. The rest of the week is supposed to be highs in the low 60’s and lows in the low 40’s with more rain beginning on Thursday. We NEED the rain badly so I hope it happens the way it’s supposed to.

ON MY MIND

I’m so glad the political ads will be coming to an end soon. I’m so tired of the mud slinging. I did see this funny on FaceBook that I LOVE!

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I have a couple loads of laundry to do as well as clean out the garden beds and prepare them for winter.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I need to take Trudy for physical therapy twice this week as well as for x-rays and surgeon follow up. I fully anticipate him to release her on Wednesday because she’s doing so well! 😀 I don’t actually need any groceries or have other errands this week.
  • PROJECTS I’m helping a friend who manages a local bar and grill with her “TRUNK” or TREAT and SCARECROW contest events with the downtown businesses, which is always fun!
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING It’ll be just the two of us again this year for Thanksgiving. Hubby wants a traditional meal so I will be downsizing my normal recipes to mini recipes for 2, but like always will be making a fun new dessert. I found a recipe for a Dulce de Leche pumpkin pie that sounds kinda good, but boring, so I’ll be OOMPHing it up a bit 😀 I’m also only making a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • STREAMING We should finish FRINGE and HOGAN’S HEROES this week and maybe even NIGHT COURT so we’ll be looking for a few new shows to watch. We’re still thinking about getting Apple TV, but haven’t decided.
  • CABLE Lots of new shows and old favorites to catch up on the DVR. Plus the Hallmark Christmas movies began this past weekend.

READING TIME

I should be finishing THE WRECK by Marie Force tonight.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS
10/21 MONDAY
10/22 TUESDAY
10/23 WEDNESDAY
10/24 THURSDAY
10/25 FRIDAY
10/26 SATURDAY
10/27 SUNDAY
DINNER
 CHICKEN and APPLE ONION SLOW COOKER MEAL with SWEET CORN on the COB
 SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS with RICE
CREAMY JALAPENO ARTICHOKE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS and REFRIED BEANS
 R.B.’S BAKED BEAN DINNER
 ZUPPA TOSCANA and GARLIC BREAD
 OUT
 ??
DESSERT
 
 
 

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

Above are the two baskets.

Hubby bought a “STRETCH” of tickets and won the wine basket for me! Love that man! 😀

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

CHICKEN FRANCESE ~ BLOG 366.292

Chicken is a blank canvas. You get to decide what style or flavor to paint it with.

CHICKEN FRANCESE
CHICKEN
2 extra LARGE boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise to make 4 chicken steaks
1/3 cup flour
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
2 SMALL eggs
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons avocado oil

  • Preheat oven to 200°.
  • Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Generously season chicken steaks with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Whisk together the eggs and milk in shallow bowl.
  • Dredge chicken breasts in flour.
  • Dip chicken breasts in egg mixture.
  • Dredge again in seasoned flour, shaking off excess.
  • Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.
  • Add chicken and saute 3 minutes per side until golden.
  • Transfer to baking sheet and keep warm while you make the sauce.

SAUCE
1 tablespoon avocado oil
3 green onions, minced
1 tablespoon WONDRA flour
3/4 cup homemade chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon FRESH chopped parsley
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 lemon thinly sliced

  • Heat oil in large skillet.
  • Add onion and saute 1 minute.
  • Sprinkle with flour, cooking a minute or so until golden.
  • Whisk in broth, wine and lemon juice.
  • Bring to a boil while whisking constantly.
  • Reduce heat and cook until sauce reduces and thickens to desired consistency.
  • Add butter, whisking constantly.
  • Adjust seasoning to taste.
  • Add lemon slices, turning to coat in sauce.
  • Serve sauce over chicken pieces.
  • Garnish with more parsley if desired.

FLANK STEAK with DEMI GLACE SAUCE, SAUER MASHED POTATOES and RED PEPPER GREEN BEANS ~ BLOG 366.291

Bavette, the French name for Flank steak is a cut of beef taken from the abdominal muscles or lower chest of the steer. French butchers refer to it as bavette, which means “bib” and is a loose, textured, and highly flavored flat cut. It has often been called the butcher’s cut, because it is said butchers reserved it for their own pleasure. This bavette steak recipe has such a deep, rich meaty flavor with a pan sauce that adds serious savory complexity.

FLANK STEAK with DEMI GLACE SAUCE

3/4 – 1 pound flank steak
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 LARGE clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, sliced thin
1 cup demi-glace
1 cup water
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Pat steak dry with paper towels.
  • Generously season with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat.
  • Add Steak searing on each side 5-7 minutes to desired doneness.
  • Transfer to cutting board and rest.
  • Add butter to pan.
  • Add shallot and garlic, cooking until fragrant.
  • Stir in water and demi-glace sauce.
  • Bring to a boil and the reduce to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  • Adjust seasoning to taste. Slice steak and serve with demi-glace.

SAUER MASHED POTATOES
1 pound golden Yukon potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sauerkraut with juice
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Peel and quarter potatoes.
  • Add potatoes to a pan of slightly salted water, cooking until tender.
  • Drain well.
  • Add the butter and sauerkraut juice to the warm pan.
  • Return potatoes to pan and mash all together.
  • Season to taste.

NOTE: You can add a bit of milk to adjust consistency as necessary.

CHICKEN & SAUSAGE GUMBO sans OKRA ala SLOW COOKER ~ BLOG 366.289

I LOVE Gumbo ingredients, MOSTLY, but I HATE okra so I make mine sans okra. 😀

CHICKEN & SAUSAGE GUMBO sans OKRA ala SLOW COOKER
1/3 cup butter or avocado oil
1/3 cup WONDRA flour
1 LARGE onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 pound Andoullie sausage, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken pieces (I use rotisserie chicken pieces)
3 1/4 cups homemade chicken broth
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
Cooked Rice or mashed potatoes for serving

  • Melt butter in large sauce pan over medium heat.
  • Whisk in flour sauteing 3-4 minutes until a golden paste forms.
  • Whisk constantly for 10-15 minutes until a dark red roux forms.
  • Add onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic sauteing 5-7 minutes until tender.
  • Add chicken broth to slow cooker.
  • Stir in seasonings.
  • Stir in vegetable mixture, chicken pieces and sausage pieces.
  • Cook on LOW 6 hours.
  • Skim off any fat.
  • Serve over rice with hot sauce and ENJOY!

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY, RECIPES & MENUS week 41 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.288

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

Fortunately I know how to pivot! This past week and weekend were full of constant change! This next week already has some major changes in it also.

There was a last minute change for physical therapy for my friend adding an additional session on Friday morning 30 minutes south of us. LOL I was already heading and hour and a half north though for an appointment in the afternoon and a little anitiquing ahead of time. So we headed south and then doubled back and headed north.

We got it all done though I arrived home pretty tired. When I originally made my appointment I had no idea it would be the same day/weekend as the BIG Ohio state Oregon Ducks football game. Boy was that town crazy!!! Green and yellow as well as red and white EVERYWHERE and the traffic around the stadium was even crazier!!!

I was supposed to go back north in two weeks for the supplies I needed for my charity dinner on the 25th, but received a phone call literally as I was pulling into the driveway asking me to move my dinner up to the 18th because that volunteer was just quarantined for COVID 🙁  and so the winter cycle is beginning. I will source things locally this week as I don’t have another day to spend driving back and forth.

Then on Saturday we were supposed to go to dinner and see a favorite band with friends, but she wasn’t feeling well and cancelled. Last minute another friend threw together a backyard get together because the weather this weekend was absolutely gorgeous and she didn’t think we’d have that much more luck as we’re well overdue for some serious rain! We did start the day with a little rummage sale and antiquing in a neighboring town where I found a few fun finds. So, it was a great treasure weekend.

Sunday was pretty typical though as we relaxed watching football, did a little laundry and had lunch with another friend.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Today is gorgeous already and will be in the mid 70’s, but…. we’re supposed to drop 20 degrees to the 50’s and finally get that rain for several days that we so desperately need.

ON MY MIND

I’m starting to think about BLOGMAS. I know we haven’t had Halloween yet or even Thanksgiving, but Thanksgiving is so late this year that I’m trying to prepare early. Anyone have any ideas for new categories this year? After all it’s only

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING got the laundry done yesterday and things are pretty well in order until I begin some serious decorating at the end of the month.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS working on my list for the charity dinner and will do the errands at the same time on Tuesday so I can begin prep work on Wednesday and Thursday.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING One of the antique stops on Saturday in a shop I rarely shop at these days (she’s only open by appointment and “serious” shoppers, but I was with a friend who made an appointment so LOL I was “allowed” in to shop also. It was a BIG score for me though with an old recipe box full of scrumptious recipes to try. Several of the have no “title” or “instructions”, only ingredients so I’m anxious to try those. These are only about 25% of the recipes I’ve found so far.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • STREAMING We’re considering getting Apple TV as there are several shows that have piqued our interest lately. Anyone have Apple TV? Pros? Cons?
  • CABLE Several new shows begin this week and we have a few DVR’ed from last week. Also watching the Halloween baking, Outrageous Pumpkins, Last Bite Hotel and Halloween Wars.

READING TIME

I’m about half way through Marie Force’s IN THE AIR TONIGHT.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS
10/14 MONDAY
10/15 TUESDAY
10/16 WEDNESDAY
10/17 THURSDAY
10/18 FRIDAY
10/19 SATURDAY
10/20 SUNDAY
DINNER
 CAMPFIRE CASSEROLE
HAM & CHEESE BREAD PUDDING
SLOW COOKER LEMON CHICKEN & CARROT MASH
CORN YOYO
CORN YOY0 I’m cooking at the Eagles
 PORK & BEAN BREAD & COLESLAW
 CHICKEN & GREEN RICE
DESSERT
 
 CHERRY ALMOND POKE CAKE trial run for Friday’s dessert
 

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

I’m going to have to remember to get into some pictures in the future – seems like I’m always the one taking the pictures 😀 Daisy here was loving the crumbs and chips that everyone dropped.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

OLD FASHIONED CREAMY MAC & CHEESE ~ BLOG 366.285

OLD FASHIONED MAC & CHEESE
2 cups elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter, dived 2 tablespoons at room temperature + 2 tablespoon COLD and cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons WONDRA flour
2 cups WHOLE milk
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
Pinch QUALITY paprika
Pinch of FRESH grated nutmeg
1/4 cup grated Vidalia onion
4 ounces Velvetta, cubed
1 cup shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese (see note)
1 cup shredded Gruyere or Baby Swiss (see note)

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Spray 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
  • Cook macaroni per package directions and immediately drain well.
  • In a large sauce pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
  • Whisk in flour, cooking until golden.
  • Add milk gradually and bring to a SLOW boil, whisking constantly for several minutes.
  • Season to taste with FRESH ground sea salt, black pepper and a pinch of paprika and nutmeg.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Add half the macaroni to baking dish.
  • Sprinkle half the onion on top and half of each cheese on top.
  • Repeat layers.
  • Pour sauce evenly over top.
  • Dot with remaining butter.
  • Bake 30 minutes covered.
  • Uncover and bake 5 minutes more until top is golden and crisp.

NOTE: FRESH GRATE YOUR CHEESE FOR THE BEST RESULTS!