Category: PROTEINS

BBQ Bean Dinner

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1/2 pound bacon
  • 1 large onion, chopped small
  • 2 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 3 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup vinegar
  • 4 large cans Bush maple flavored baked beans
Brown hamburger and then drain. Fry bacon until crisp. Crumble bacon into pieces. Add to the remaining ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-7 hours. Serve with beer bread or cheddar cheese biscuits. Great dish for a church pot luck.

~*~BBQ BEEF or PORK- the easiest and tastiest EVER~*~

Hubby and I are supposed to go out for Valentines, but we’re also supposed to have yet another blizzard on Valentines Day, so I may be making this recipe instead:

BBQ BEEF

3-4 pound chuck roast or boneless beef ribs*
1 large onion, chopped small
1 12 oz. coca-cola
2 cups Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce
1 cup ketchup OR 1 cup mustard**
1 cup packed brown sugar

  • Put the meat and coca-cola in 6 quart crock pot on low for one hour.
  • Do NOT use high, you can’t cook this recipe fast, it just doesn’t work.
  • After an hour, add the remaining ingredient.
  • Stir well and put the lid on.
  • Cook on low for 5 hours.
  • When done, meat will be in shreds and fat will have all but dissolved into the sauce.
  • Serve over mashed potatoes or on buns.

*You can use stew eat, but it isn’t as good. You need the striation and marbling of fat. The combination of the marbling and the coca-cola tenderizes the meat and makes it yummy.

**Ketchup makes it a little sweeter while mustard makes it more tart.

~*~Dinner Challenge Update~*~Stuffed Spinach Manicotti Shells~*~

1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic or 2 teaspoons minced jar garlic
1 box chopped frozen spinach (thawed & drained)
salt & pepper to taste
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 can Contadina tomato paste
10 ounces beef broth (I use granules and make my own)
2 tablespoons Classico sun-dried tomato peso
1/4 cup butter
2-8ounce shredded mozzarella cheese packages
1 box organic pasta Manicotti Shells, prepared very Al dente
  • Brown hamburger. Add garlic and onion about half way through. When the hamburger is browned, add spinach and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. Drain off fat.
  • Mix all other ingredients together except the shells and cheese and bring to a simmering boil. Add one third of the sauce to the meat mixture.
  • Stuff the shells with the meat mixture. Continue until all shells are full. This recipe serves 4, but at this point since there are just the 2 of us now, I tend to either A) have leftovers or B) try to think ahead and prep meals to freeze for easy cooking on the nights we’re busy with appointments, but still need a home cooked meal. This Manicotti recipe is great for that. The shells come in a box with 2 layers of plastic protectors. I make sure to save one to protect the shells I’m going to freeze. I prepare the recipe like normal, but split it in half before baking and freeze half. As you can see it all slips easily into a gallon size ziploc bag. After removing everything, I roll the bag up and stick in the freezer door until the next time I prep the whole recipe.
  • In a small greased casserole layer some sauce on bottom. Lay in half the shells, pour more sauce over top reserving half the sauce for the freezer. Put that sauce in a quart size ziploc. Top with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove fol and return to oven for an additional 20 minutes.
  • In the gallon sized ziploc bag slide the extra tray of shells into it. Slide the bag of sauce on top of that as well as the second bag of mozzarella cheese. Zip shut and freeze. You now have a home cooked meal for another night.

Super Bowl Hot Wings & Nacho Buffalo Bleu Cheese Dip

It doesn’t matter who you were rooting for, you CAN’T, I repeat CAN’T watch the SUPER BOWL unless you have hot wings and buffalo cheese dip!


Personally I’m so glad the Giants won. What more could you ask for but to have back to back years with boy next door American quarterbacks (brothers no less). These two give the whole sports image icon a super boost. I’d rather have my kids looking up to either Eli or Payton Manning over say Michael Vick. It just oozes, American flag, fireworks, Chevy, hot dogs and apple pie. Oh and mom was there too!

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup bleu cheese dressing **
1/2 cup Frank’s hot sauce
1 can Rotel Original tomatoes & chiles (drained)
1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat cream cheese in mixing bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften it. Whisk in the bleu cheese dressing, hot sauce, tomatoes and bleu cheese crumbles until smooth. Pour into a 9 inch stoneware casserole. Bake 20-30 minutes or until cooked through. Serve immediately with Hot wings. **

**See recipes on side bar

~*~Sauteed Garlic Shrimp Pasta~*~5 night dinner challenge update~*~

This is the simplest recipe and smells and tastes great too.

16 medium shrimp
1/2 pound organic spaghetti
2 cloves garlic or 2 teaspoons minced jar garlic
1 bunch chopped green onions
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup cream sherry
shredded parmesan cheese

Trim Shrimp and rinse well. In skillet melt butter and oil together and bring to a medium high heat. Add shrimp and saute’ well. Add garlic and onions and continue sauteing about 5 minutes. Add sherry and lower heat and cook until a thick glaze sauce forms. Toss with pasta. Shred parmesan on top and serve immediately.

Super Bowl Staples ~*~ HOT WINGS & home made 'BLEU' CHEESE dressing

What’s the SUPER BOWL without HOT WINGS and home made BLEU CHEESE dressing for dipping along with a good beer and few dozen other appetizers? Now I try to watch our fats and prepare balanced meals on a day to day basis, but let’s get real here people, this is the SUPER BOWL ~ it’s like Christmas or Thanksgiving. Do you even think twice on those days before you pop, well let’s be honest you’ll pop ANYTHING that looks good into your mouth on those days? Of course not, so why think about it today? Plus here’s the bonus, they’re technically baked so there good for you, right?

HOT WINGS

  • 2-3 dozen+ chicken wings ~ We prefer drumettes (with a little meat on them) to actual wings, but it’s your choice. Today I used what was in the freezer for picture sake, but next week it’ll be drumettes for sure!
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • hidden valley ranch dressing mix (DRY) OR Good Seasons Italian dressing mix (DRY)
  • 2 sticks butter+
  • Frank’s Hot Sauce
  • PURE
I also prefer to use an old cast iron frying pan (our is at least 3rd generation, dating back to hubby’s grandfather that we know for sure). I still believe this gives you the most even browning.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Wash and dry the chicken pieces.
  • Mix together the flour and seasonings in a plastic ziploc bag. Using a ziploc bag makes it easy to throw away the whole mess after dredging all the chicken pieces and it helps you coat every possible spot of the chicken pieces.
  • Add chicken a few pieces at a time and coat them well. Set chicken pieces aside.
  • While you’re doing this, have the butter melting in the pan. Start with 1 stick and add as necessary, but make sure you don’t run out dry.
  • Once all the chicken has been dredged start frying. After you have the pan full pepper the pieces again. Don’t turn the chicken until you can see blood. You only need to turn the chicken one time. Brown evenly and then set aside on paper towels until all pieces have been fried.
  • As the last batch is frying melt the other stick of butter in a 4 cup measure cup. To that add 1 cup of Frank’s hot sauce per stick of butter. Whisk them together well.
  • Spray a cookie sheet with PURE.
  • Dip each piece of chicken into the hot sauce mixture and put on cookie sheet.
  • After you’re all done and if you have hot sauce & butter mixture left, pour a little over the top of each wing.
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Serve hot with my homemade Bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks if you’d like.

Home made “BLEU” CHEESE DRESSING

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup large curd cottage cheese
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 4 ounces bleu cheese crumbles (sometimes I use Gorgonzola for a bit of change or when I accidentally pick up the wrong container at the grocery store and we like it just as well)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • I put it all in my food processor and pulse until it’s well mixed. Chill for 24-48 hours before serving.

CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE FOR MOUTH WATERING VIEW.

Favorite Ingredient Friday~Super Savory Pot Roast & Veggies

Favorite Ingredient Friday, hosted by Overwhelmed with Joy.
Super Savory Pot Roast & Veggies
I love Pot Roast. I adapted grams old recipe to my family and their likes.

Ingredients:
2-3 pound Pot Roast
2 medium Onions
1 bag baby carrots
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 large Yukon potatoes~scrubbed clean, but not peeled
Kosher Salt
White & Black Pepper
3 t. minced garlic
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Pampered Chef Rosemary mix
Beef bullion
Red Wine (2 cups) OR White Wine (2 cups)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. The meat you use is important. And like Ree over at The Pioneer Woman Cooks, my favorite roast is the chuck roast because it has wonderful marbling throughout the meat, and when cooked right (prep, cover, cook ~ don’t fiddle with it while it’s in the oven) any chuck roast winds up being tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Be aware that the tougher the piece of meat is, the longer it needs to cook so that the connective tissue will soften and break down. You truly can’t rush a pot roast, you’ll be disappointed if you try as it will be dry or lack flavor. BE PATIENT. You want the meat to basically fall apart. You SHOULD NOT need a knife to cut it.

Bring the piece of meat to room temperature. GENEROUSLY sprinkle the first side of meat with the Kosher Salt and Pepper mix. Heat enough olive oil in the bottom of a fry pan to make a thick coating. Heat to a medium-high heat. Cut the onions tip to root, cut off root and stem, peel and lay flat into hot oil. Brown both sides well. Remove to side. Add the baby carrots and do the same. I normally cut each carrot just in half. Brown carrots and like Ree said you’re trying more for color here than cooking. They will have plenty of time to cook in the oven. I also like to add my garlic (I use the bottled minced garlic from the produce section) and spices at this point. By this time I have put them all into a mortar and pestle to revive their scents and aromas. When carrots are finished, remove them to the same plate as the onions. If necessary add more olive oil to the pan and add the roast seasoned side down. While it’s browning season the other side really well Brown both sides and all edges really well.

Now, for the oven I like to use my grandma’s old Magnalite dutch oven which cooks really even! And see those little hobnail bumps in on the bottom side of the lid? Those are better known as drip catchers. They collect the steam from the juices and redistributes it all right back down on the roast as it cooks. These help keep the meat moist and juicy. After the roast is browned, place it in the dutch oven and spread vegetables all around it.

While fry pan is still hot, add white or red wine and the beef bullion to deglaze the pan ~ make sure you scrape up all the stuck little bits from the bottom. Cook long enough to mix well and then pour over the roast. The liquid should come up at least half way on the sides of the roast and vegetable mixture. For this recipe we added the white wine to the recipe and drank the red. The red wine, Harrod wine, is from our nephew’s vineyard so we don’t waste it cooking, but enjoy every last drop.

Put the lid on the dutch oven, put it in the oven, don’t open the door for AT LEAST 3 hours! Today’s roast was 2.39 pounds and I roasted it for 3 1/2 hours. Go relax or at least get the dishes you’ve dirtied so far done up. At 3 hours, I prep the potatoes for boiling. I too, prefer not to cook mine with the roast ~ I prefer a bit of substance instead of the mush they become with the roast. I do a basic mashed with heavy cream, salt, pepper, and butter (hey you gotta splurge a little sometimes!)

We get 2 meals out of these proportions. Now to us eating starts with the eyes ~ so make it pretty. I love my polish pottery, all of it is unique one-of-a-kind creations and decorates a table and your meal so easily!

~*~Sweet & Sour Carmelized Chicken~*~

I couldn’t decide which one, so I did 2 this week.
Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Overwhelmed with Joy.


This is such an easy and quick meal to make, but it looks & tastes like you worked all afternoon.


Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (bottle works if that’s what you have)
2 tablespoons rice wine balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
olive oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Between 2 sheets of wax paper flatten chicken breasts if they are too thick. If they are too thick they will take longer to cook. If you prefer scallopini style you’ll need to decrease cooking time slightly.

Whisk together the egg and cornstarch. Soak chicken breasts in mixture for an hour before cooking. This mixture seals in the moistness and keeps the chicken juicy throughout.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a oven proof fry pan (or you will need to transfer to a baking dish) coat he bottom of the pan with olive oil. When the oil is hot, brown both sides of the chicken breasts including all the sides. Add onions about midway and brown them too. You want all the little browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

When breasts are browned, put the pan in the oven for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees. In the mean time, whisk together the hot water, bullion, flour, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour liquid mixture over the chicken and cover tightly with foil.

Return it to the oven for additional 10 minutes (5 minutes if doing a scallopini thickness, 15 if they are really thick. Sauce will be thick. During this last ten minutes I steamed the broccoli and turned the left over mashed potatoes from the pot roast into twice baked potato bowls.

I have used breast tenders in a pinch and they work well, but they cook faster so keep an eye on them.

Alternative to brining

So, I was checking out my favorite food sites this morning and ran across an opposition (maybe it was an aversion, but they’re tackling it and overcoming it) to brining this morning over at Smitten Kitchen. So I offered up my recipe as an alternative to brine, I have used an egg white whisked together with a teaspoon of cornstarch. I also add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and white pepper which tends to bring out the flavor. Coat chicken for 30-60 minutes before you are going to prepare it. DO NOT wash it off before cooking. You will have some of the plumpest juiciest chicken ever.

Wild Turkey

Just a few months ago you’d see all the “mom” turkeys with a stream of baby turkeys trotting along behind her. Now I think it’s time for them to run for the woods. They’re starting to look like Thanksgiving dinner. There are hundreds and hundreds of wild turkeys in this north woods area. There is also an abundance of deer according to the DNR due to the recent mild winters.