Author: QuiltLady

ZING ZANG BLOODY MARY BEEF TIPS

ZING ZANG BLOODY MARY BEEF TIPS
MARINADE
1 cup ZING ZANG Bloody Mary mix
2 tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons pepperoncini juice
1 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds beef tips

  • Whisk together the 3/4 cup of the Bloody Mary mix, 1 tablespoon of the Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of the pepperoncini juice and celery salt.
  • Add beef, turning to coat.
  • Marinade beef tips 4-5 hours in refrigerator, turning occasionally.

ASSEMBLY
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons WONDRA flour
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 SMALL Vidalia onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 cups matchstick carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons QUALITY tomato paste
1 cup homemade beef bone broth
4-6 pepperoncinis

  • Add oil to enameled cast iron saute pan over medium high heat.
  • Drain beef tips of marinade. Discard marinade.
  • Add flour to a large ziploc bag.
  • Generously season flour with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Add drained beef to ziploc bag, shaking to coat pieces well with seasoned flour.
  • Shake off excess flour and add beef pieces to hot oil, searing all sides.
  • Remove beef from pan.
  • Add butter to melt.
  • Add celery, onions and carrots, sauteing until soft.
  • Add broth to pan, stirring to loosen any bits from the bottom.
  • Whisk in tomato paste, remaining Bloody Mary mix, remaining Worcestershire sauce and remaining pepperoncini juice.
  • Season to taste.
  • Add garlic and pepperoncinis to pan.
  • Return meat to pan, turning to coat.
  • Simmer 35-40 minutes.
  • Serve over noodles or mashed potatoes.

NOTE: Any heavy pan will work, but I prefer an enameled cast iron for its even cooking.

ASPARAGUS POCKETS

ASPARAGUS POCKETS

2 pounds thin baby asparagus, cut about 4 inches from the top
1/2 pound diced prosciutto
6 slices of smoked Gouda cheese
2 Sheets Puff Pastry Dough or pie crust
1 LARGE egg
2 tablespoons chopped FRESH Thyme
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Roll out dough.
  • Cut dough into 6 rectangles and brush with egg wash.
  • Cut 5-7 asparagus in half and lay evenly in the center of each pastry dough rectangle. Leave about a 1/4 inch of dough on each side.
  • Fold 2 slices of prosciutto into a fan and place on top of the asparagus.
  • Place 1 slice of smoked Gouda on top of the the asparagus and prosciutto.
  • Flip the bottom of pastry dough to cover the bottom half of the asparagus, and to create a pocket.
  • Pinch the edges.
  • Brush the whole pocket with egg wash and sprinkle with pepper.
  • Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENU PLANS & RECIPE LINKS week 39 of 2022

I absolutely LOVE doing Happy Homemaker Monday so extensively that it helps keep me on track and it summarizes the past week and lays out a fairly concise plan for me to follow this week. Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.


Good morning dear friends. I hope your week was wonderful. Join me for a cup of coffee and let’s start the morning with a good thought that’s also a funny 😀

Have I mentioned that I ABSOLUTELY adore when fall rolls around?

We had a couple days in the high 70’s, but seriously, it wasn’t that warm and the evenings have been absolutely beautiful. This week is supposed to be in the low 70’s for highs and 40’s for lows.

We finally scheduled a short little trip next week to the coast and as of right now it’s 50/50 om whether it will be raining, BUT it will be MUCH cooler – high 50’s/low 60’s for highs, and that I am certainly looking forward to!Will definitely need to pack for layers.

We usually plan a small trip around each of our birthdays just to get away a bit and with our birthdays being 6 months apart, not around any holidays and the kids always being in school it works out perfect!

For some reason this year I am ESPECIALLY ready for the holidays. Don’t get me wrong I am ALWAYS a Christmas girl, but this year just feels like it needs it more.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING Finished all the laundry yesterday and deep cleaning will be tomorrow. Pretty tidy all and all.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS Have appointments in town today and tomorrow so will work the few things I need around those.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS & PROJECTS Still working on several things and need to run up to the post office and send off a certified letter regarding the whole SIL mess -YES, that is STILL going on 🙁 Any prayers that help us move forward are seriously welcome. We really want to get this resolved with as few issues as possible.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING Menus are planned through the 3rd week in October. I’ll re-evaluate mid month based on weather. 

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX – Just finished season 12 of our NCIS reruns
  • AMAZON PRIME – Hubby had never seen HIGH ROAD TO CHINA so we rented that on Saturday evening. Also tried to watch Thursday night football, but seems like there are even more commercials watching it on Prime!
  • CABLE – The new season is here. We have cutback on many things and will watch others as time and or weather permits. I’m not sure that I like all the crossover events tying all the shows together to start the season. The DVR already has a bit of a build up, but that will make binging easier as we head into the inevitable bad weather for this time of year that will begin a couple weeks. COOKING SHOWS – Halloween Wars, The Big Bake, Halloween Baking, Guy’s Game Night, Bobby’s Triple Threat COMEDIES (YAY they start this week) Young Sheldon and Ghosts POLICE/DRAMAS NCIS series – regular, LA and Hawaii, Chicago series – Med, Fire and PD, Blue Bloods, FBI series – regular, Most Wanted and International, Law & Order series – regular and SVU, Rookie and Rookie Feds starts this week, The Resident, New Amsterdam SYFY/FANTASY – Quantum Leap, La Brea REALITY – Amazing Race

I finished the LOST GIRLS OF PARIS by Pam Jenoff and have moved on to the STATE OF THE UNION by Marie Force.

Lately, we have been seeing quite a few birds that we haven’t seen before. There is A LOT of construction going on near here in a previously woodsy area and I wonder if they’re driving them our way? We saw this guy on the back fence for a quick minute and can’t remember seeing anything like him before. He is like a cross between a Downy Woodpecker and a red capped Robin. Couldn’t get it in the picture, but he had the brightest red cap on the top back of his head, kind of like a Yarmulke. Anybody know for sure what he is?

There is an OLD historic bank building in town on a busy corner that has been sitting vacant for more than a decade mainly because the people that bought it ran into asbestos abatement issues, or so I was told, but they have finally secured a grant to restore the building as a historic site.

I’ve been watching this unique and grand old building for years wishing someone would do something special with it. As I’m told now the bottom will become a wine tasting bar and the upper floor will have a couple offices. I can’t wait to see what they do.

Several other buildings of existing businesses in town have done the same thing thing and there are several others that are vacant that I hope someone follows suit with after they see this beauty redone.

 
9/26 MONDAY
9/27 TUESDAY
9/28 WEDNESDAY
9/29 THURSDAY
9/30
FRIDAY
10/1 SATURDAY
10/2 SUNDAY
DINNER
 PINEAPPLE PORK ROAST, MASHED POTATOES and SALAD
 PECAN CHICKEN with TOMATO ORZO & CREAMY WHITE BEANS
 FRENCH ONION SOUP & SOURDOUGH MUFFINS
CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
 COON BALLS & LOADED CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE
AMISH COUNTRY CASSEROLE and HARISSA CARROTS & ONIONS
DESSERT
 

ENGLISH STYLE BAKED POTATOES

Hubby has been complaining for quite some time now that baked potatoes just don’t taste the same anymore. Then the other day I ran across an article that while I knew was probably click bait, I had to check it out anyway. And I’m glad I did. I did pick and choose the parts that appealed to me the most. You can read the whole article here.

The article states that “English Jacket Potatoes Are the Best Baked Potatoes”! And they are correct! I just love the name “Jacket Potatoes”, it’s just so British. I believe this recipe has come the closest to reviving what we were looking for in a baked potato – a crispy outside with a tender fluffy inside.

The article lists 4 specific keys to achieving the perfect baked potato. Turns out that it isn’t difficult at all to make that perfect potato.

1) Slice a BIG X 1/4 inch deep in the potato. Typically here in America we poke a few holes in them to allow steam to escape, but the BIG X makes a HUGE difference. I then rub the potatoes with melted butter and coarse flaked salt.

2) Bake them longer than you usually do. 1 1/2-2 hours at 350-400° (depending on potato size) instead of 1 hour at 425°. They won’t burn at this temperature and baking for this long means the skin will be so crisp that it’s practically like a crispy cracker.

3) At the end of baking time, remove potatoes from the oven and cut the X deeper into the potato and slightly push the ends of the potatoes inward to open them up a bit. Return them to the oven for 10 more minutes. This will dry out the inside flesh and fluff it up a bit more.

4) Take the piping hot potatoes from the oven and push open the crisp, perfectly salted skin and garnish with butter, sour cream, chopped chives, shredded cheese, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper… and whatever else suits your fancy. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

ORANGE LEMON PEPPER JELLY GLAZED CHICKEN with GRILLED PEPPERS

This can be done on the stove, but, tastes much better grilled.

ORANGE LEMON PEPPER JELLY GLAZED CHICKEN with GRILLED PEPPERS
3 limes, juiced for 2 tablespoons
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon FINELY ground coriander
1/4 cup avocado oil
4 Hatch chiles
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup hot pepper jelly
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup lemon curd

  • Whisk together the lime juice, pepper jelly, orange marmalade and lemon curd.
  • Generously season the chicken pieces with FRESH ground sea salt, black pepper and coriander.
  • Coat chicken pieces and Hatch chiles in avocado oil.
  • Grill over medium high heat 4-5 minutes per side. Start with top side down.
  • When you flip the chicken spoon, add the chiles to the grill and spread  a layer of the jelly on top of each chicken pieces before closing the lid.
  • Garnish with the green onions.

AUTUMN SEASONAL LIST OF TO DO ITEMS

I’ve been doing a quarterly update of the MAIN list I made last January to participate with Jean and I’d never thought about making one that was seasonally specific to holiday menus and events, but I really like the idea that Jean got from her friend, Rebecca at Rebecca’s Hearth and Home. So here’s my Fall 2022 list.

FALL 2022 TO DO LIST

  • Plant the mums that my friend gave me for my birthday and clean out whiskey barrel planters in prep for winter.
  • Prep outside patio furniture and BBQ for winter months.
  • Deep clean oven and refrigerators.
  • Fall trip to coast with hubby for my birthday.
  • Go to the Harvest Festival at the fairgrounds.
  • Go to the Christmas Craft Fair at the fairgrounds
  • Deep clean bird bath and hummingbird feeders.
  • Sort through ALL clothes and donate EVERYTHING that doesn’t fit or I just don’t care for anymore.
  • Finish cleaning out pantry, freezer and seasonings to start fresh in the new year.
  • Clean out and cover garden beds as soon as zucchini and tomato plants are done – probably in about 2 weeks.
  • Bake something once a week from my new cookbook.
  • Try a new and challenging cooking or baking technique every week.
  • Start indoor herb garden so I have them for the winter.
  • Learn YOGA.
  • Take ALL Sundays completely off to watch football, NASCAR, snuggle up and read or WHATEVER I want for that 1 day a week.

Do you have any specific plans for the FALL?

NACHOS CASSEROLE

NACHOS CASSEROLE adapted from LOU LOU girls

SAUCE
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons WONDRA flour
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce (you can change this up be using a salsa verde sauce)
1 1/2 cups of your favorite salsa
1 1/2 cups homemade chicken bone broth*
1 teaspoon KINDERS taco seasoning
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the melted butter and flour.
  • Cook, whisking continually, until it begins to bubble; let it bubble for 1 minute.
  • Add the enchilada sauce, salsa, chicken broth, taco seasoning, salt and pepper.
  • Raise the heat slightly and bring to a SLOW boil.
  • Reduce to a simmer while you prepare the meat.

FILLING
1 pound QUALITY ground beef
1/2 pound shredded chicken
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon KINDERS taco seasoning
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 can BUSH’s seasoned black beans, drained WELL
15-ounce bag Doritos nacho cheese flavored chips

1 1/2 cups shredded jack cheese (pepper jack if you want a bit of a bite)
1 1/2 cups shredded medium Cheddar cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Crumble beef into skillet along with the onions and garlic, cooking 5-8 minutes until crumbly and cooked through.
Add chicken pieces.
Drain off grease.
Stir in the beans, taco seasoning, salt and pepper.
Add the simmering sauce and shut off the heat.
Mix together the cheeses in a medium bowl.
Stir in 1/3 of the cheese. Save the remaining cheese for assembly.

ASSEMBLY

  • Preheat the oven to 350°.
  • Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Gently break up the chips by crushing the bag slightly with your hands. Make sure not to over crush the chips; you’re looking for pieces, not crumbs.
  • Pour one third of the broken chips into the prepared baking dish.
    Top with a quarter of the beef mixture and 2/3 cup of the cheese.
  • Repeat, adding another layer of chips, beef mix and cheese.
  • Finish by adding the remaining chips to the top of the casserole.
  • Top with the remaining cheese.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
  • Remove foil and continue to bake15-20 minutes more until bubbly.
  • Add toppings just before serving.

TOPPINGS (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup guacamole
1/4 cup sliced black olives
3 green onions, sliced
Crumbled Cotija cheese
Shredded cheddar
Hot Sauce, optional

NOTE: I use homemade bone broth. In the summertime my bone broth also contains lots of FRESH tomatoes that only enhance the flavor for the better.

 

MARMALADE CARROTS

MARMALADE CARROTS

5 LARGE carrots, sliced into rustic chunks
1 tablespoon butter
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons red chile flakes
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
scant cup homemade chicken broth

  • Whisk together chicken broth, vinegar, marmalade, chile flakes, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.
  • Add carrots, sautéing 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add broth mixture, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes until softened and well coated.

CHICKEN CAPRESE PASTA BOWLS

CHICKEN CAPRESE PASTA serves 8

12 ounces dry penne pasta
1 cup prepared alfredo sauce (homemade or store bought – your choice)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped basil
1/2 – 1 cup arugula
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup FINELY chopped sweet red pepper
1 cup mozzarella balls
2 cups cooked shredded rotisserie chicken breast for a quick meal OR 1 breaded chicken cutlet that’s been pan seared for the best flavor if you have the time

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large skillet over warm heat.

  • Stir in pasta sauce, rotisserie chicken pieces, tomatoes, basil pieces, Parmesan cheese and pepper pieces. If using a breaded chicken cutlet prepare it so that it is ready to be sliced just as the baking dish comes out of the oven.
  • Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish and top evenly with Mozzarella balls.
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted.

  • Toss with arugula and a squeeze of lemon JUST before serving.

CRUSTED STUFFED CHICKEN

CRUSTED STUFFED CHICKEN adapted from HEY GRILL HEY

Crusted Chicken is stuffed with a ooey, gooey, creamy and cheesy filling of chiles and bacon with a BIG crunch on the outside. This recipe as written was for the grill, but I’ve adapted it slightly for stove top or oven. I also changed the jalapeños to green chiles for the wimps in my family. You can also use flavored cream cheese if you want to change up the flavor a bit. The type of chip you use also adds or changes the flavor accordingly. I sometimes use Fritos or Doritos.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 8.5 oz bag of your favorite chips – I use Kettle salt and vinegar or Lays wavy sour cream flavored chips
1/3 cup WONDRA flour
3 LARGE eggs, lightly beaten

STUFFING
8 ounce cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup medium cheddar cheese
4 ounce can chopped green chiles, drained WELL
1/2 cup crumbled bacon (about 8 pieces)
1 tablespoon Homemade Sweet Rub (recipe below)
2-3 tablespoons avocado oil
2-3 tablespoons butter

  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Line baking sheet with parchment paper if baking.
  • Use a sharp knife to slice each chicken breast almost all the way in half creating a pocket.
  • Open the slice and press each breast flat.
  • In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, green chiles, bacon, and homemade sweet rub.
  • Spread 1/4 of the mixture onto each of the butterflied chicken breasts.
  • Fold the breasts over and press the cream cheese mixture so it is evenly distributed within the chicken.
  • Mash the chips into crumbs with a food processor or blender and pulse until the chips are broken down into fine crumbs.
  • Make a dredging station by pouring the crumbs into a shallow dish.
  • In another dish add the flour and season with a little paprika.
  • Break the eggs into a third shallow dish and beat lightly with a fork.
  • Dredge the stuffed chicken breasts into the flour first, shaking off the excess.
  • Then dip into the eggs followed by the chip crumbs, coating each side well.
  • Heat avocado oil and butter in a heavy cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
  • Gently add chicken breasts to hot oil searing each side 5-6 minutes or until cooked through depending on breast thickness OR place on baking sheet and bake 30 minutes or until cooked through.
  • Serve immediately and enjoy

SWEET RUB
¼ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons FRESH ground Himalayan sea salt
2 teaspoons FRESH ground black pepper
2 teaspoons QUALITY smoked paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • Combine all of the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl.
  • Stir well to combine, using a fork to break up any clumps.

  • Store in an airtight container.
  • This will last in your cupboard for up to a month
.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENU PLANS & RECIPE LINKS WEEK 38 OF 2022

I absolutely LOVE doing Happy Homemaker Mondays so extensively. They truly help keep me focused and on track. It helps me summarize the past week and lay out a fairly concise plan for me to follow this week. Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Good morning dear friends. How was your weekend? Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the cloudy cool edge to this morning with a hint towards some much needed rain with me. We’re supposed to be in the mid 70’s most of the week with intermittent rain on 3 days and night time lows dipping into the high 40’s. YAY fall is here!

I had a busy, but fun week. I LOVE as we get older that birthdays morph from a day to a week. I think next year I’ll make it a whole month 😀 My girlfriend invited me to lunch for my birthday that chaotically became something more with other birthdays. While I had fun, I am looking forward to her and I doing a day with just the 2 of us which we decided will be next month as her birthday next week and has already become more than we originally planned.

I did 2 things for myself this year for my birthday. I ran a fundraiser drive for MD Anderson to raise donations for Ovarian Cancer Awareness month which falls during the same month. Without them I wouldn’t be here to celebrate the past 10 years – a TRUE milestone.

And I’m having a long Pampered Chef party that closes next week 😀 They have some fun new items for the fall catalog. In case anyone needs anything here’s the party link. Tamy’s Pampered Chef Party

On this last Monday of summer I’m already feeling fall in the mornings AND evenings making the semi-warm days sandwiched in between beautiful. I’m ALMOST always barefoot at home! But, when fall arrives and my toes get a little chilled I put on some form of socks. Well, that happened last night 😀

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I finished almost all the laundry yesterday, just have a load of sheets and blankets left.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I need just a very few things this week and have 2 appointments, 1 today and again on Thursday when I’ll hit the 2 different stores to accomplish the list.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS & PROJECTS I did get a call from my endocrinologist’s office telling me they think the appeal paperwork to the insurance company will go through this time 😀 YAY! This would take A LOT of my plate. I have 2 other big things I’m working on that I hope and need to get handled this week.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING My actual meals are planned through October, but I got a new fun cook book for my birthday that I have already read cover to cover and tagged the pages I want to try. So, I will be making a “dessert” planning menu and hope to try a small scale recipe each week until I’ve worked my way through the book which will take most of 2023 I think 😀

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX We just finished season 11 of NCIS which will be a little confusing tonight when the new season starts, but we’ll muddle through.
  • CABLE The new season begins tonight so I’ve been setting the DVR to get things I want to watch recorded. I’ve been enjoying the Halloween baking shows. And YAY NFL is back and NASCAR has started the championships.

I finished UNMISSING by Minka Kent. She’s a new author to me, but I’ve enjoyed her writing and plot twists that you don’t see coming making the story more unpredictable than many these days. Right now I’ve gotten deeper into the LOST GIRL OF PARIS.

I only took a few photos this past week, but they were kind of weird. I dug up some Calla Lillies to take to a friend for transplanting to her yard and this little baby snail was along for the ride. He was so little and new that even his shell was translucent.

On the way to her house we passed a flea market that is in operation quite often and found this broom – not sure what it was all about unless someone is preparing a prop for a new episode of the Walking Dead. Charley the barn cat was in attendance as always. He looks a little rough around the edges, but has the softest fur and sweetest demeanor.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
 STUFFED SHELLS & SALAD
 CHICKEN CORDON BLEU, VEGGIE & SALAD
CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
BLACK BEAN CHICKEN, SALAD & BAKED RICOTTA
 BEEF BURRITO BOWLS & REFRIED BEANS with SALAD
 CHICKEN & TOMATOES in CREAM SAUCE and a SALAD
 BEEF STROGANOFF & GREEN BEANS
DESSERT
 

RASPBERRY STEAK & TOMATO SALAD

RASPBERRY STEAK & TOMATO SALAD

1 pound boneless sirloin steak
6 cups butter lettuce greens
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, seeded and sliced (optional)
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 /2 LARGE red onion, sliced thin
1 cup raspberries
2/3 cup red wine vinaigrette (homemade or brand of choice)

  • Puree berries.
  • Whisk puree into vinaigrette. Reserve 1/3 cup.
  • Add steak and remaining vinaigrette into a ziploc bag.
  • Chill 2 hours, turning several times.

 

  • Grill steak over medium high heat 4-5 minutes per side.
  • Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
  • Toss remaining ingredients together in a large bowl.
  • Plate salad ingredients.
  • Top with steak slices.
  • Drizzle with vinaigrette.