Category: RECIPES

Giving Thanks ~ Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing

Hi everyone, Tamy here filling in for Chris today.  My recipe is not from the grill, but I thought it was appropriate for so near Thanksgiving.

Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing
1 loaf sourdough French bread, cut into bite size chunks
1 large sweet onion, chopped fine
1 small bunch celery (leaves and all), chopped fine
1/2 bag baby carrots, chopped fine
1 box mushrooms, chopped fine
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon white pepper
2 sticks unsalted butter
4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon Chicken base
2 tablespoons Buttery Herb & Garlic Mix (I believe McCormick makes it)
4 cloves garlic, minced

  • Cut bread into bite sized chunks and spread out in a thin layer over cookie sheets.
  • Bake at 200 degrees for 3-4 hours until pieces are actually hard.
  • Chop all the vegetables.
  • In a large cast iron pan melt 1/4 cup of the butter.
  • Add the onions and saute until translucent. The add the celery and carrots and continue sauteing until crisp tender. Add the garlic last as it will burn first.
  • Whisk together the water, better than bouillon chicken base and all of the seasonings.
  • Add the melted butter.
  • In a large pan toss the bread slices together.
  • Add the sauteed vegetables and toss again.
  • Add the liquid mixture and toss again until well absorbed.
  • Fold entire mixture into at least a 9×13 baking dish.
  • Bake uncovered 1 hour.
  • At this point I use a small portion for our dinner that night and freeze the rest.
  • When it’s time to cook it again, I defrost it, put it back in the same baking dish and bake it again, but this time covered with foil until the last 15 minutes so it doesn’t dry out. We like it crisp on top so I remove the foil the last 15 minutes.
You can find me at my home blogs 3 Sides of Crazy. Always Eat On The Good China, on Saturdays at THE Motivation Station on Sundays here at OUR KrAzY kitchen. 

    HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE

    CRANBERRY SAUCE
    1/2 cup orange juice with pulp*
    1/2 cup pineapple juice*
    1 bag cranberries
    2 cups sugar
    ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    1 teaspoon orange peel
    • Wash cranberries and drain in colander. 
    • Mix orange juice and sugar in saucepan until dissolved. 
    • Add cinnamon and orange peel. Stir well.
    • Add the cranberries and simmer over medium high heat until bubbling, stirring often. 
    • When the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat. 
    • Cook uncovered or until all cranberries have ’popped’. 
    • Sauce will thicken as it cools. 
    • Can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for future holidays.

    Yields: 2 cups
    *You can use ALL orange juice if you prefer

    ***I like to make a double batch at Thanksgiving and freeze half for Christmas.

    PORK in ORANGE SAUCE

    My wonderful SIL recently returned from a cruise to Panama – lucky her! – she had a great time, but lucky me – she sent me a new cookbook of Mexican recipes.  I have tried 3 recipes so far this week and we loved all 3!!!!!!!!!  But, hubby all but licked his plate on this one tonight. And this recipe was soooooooooo simple!  I did tweak the original recipe to suit us, but the basics are all still there.

    2 pound pork tenderloin, cut into pieces
    1/3 cup diced dried apricots
    1 cup white wine vinegar
    1 teaspoon cumin
    3 cloves garlic, finely minced
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/2 teaspoon red pepper
    4 tablespoons butter
    1 cup fresh orange juice
    1/3 cup lemon juice
    sliced oranges for garnish
    mashed potatoes (original recipe called for mashed sweet potatoes but hubby doesn’t care for them)

    • In a large bowl combine vinegar, cumin, garlic, red pepper and salt.
    • Drop in pork cubes and make sure they are completely coated.
    • Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or more.
    • Remove pork pieces from marindae, but reserve the marinade.
    • Pat the meat dry.*
    • In a heavy skillet, melt the butter.
    • Brown the pork cubes until golden.
    • Add the reserved marinade and bring to a boil.
    • Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until pork is tender (30 minutes or so).
    • Stir in orange and lemon juices last 15 minutes.

    *Next time I will brown the pork first and then marinade so there is a bit of a crusty edge.

    NOTE:  Any time you marinade in vinegar, meat will take longer to brown.

    SALTED CHOCOLATE

    SALTED CHOCOLATE
    16 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
    Sea Salt
    1/2 cup crushed walnuts
    PURE

    • Spray a jelly roll pan with an even coat of PURE.
    • Microwave chocolate in 20 second intervals until melted.
    • Spread chocolate out evenly.
    • Sprinkle sea salt across the entire layer of chocolate.
    • Sprinkle top with crushed walnuts.
    • Gently press nuts into the chocolate.
    • Cool in refrigerator uncovered for 30 minutes until hardened.
    • Break up into pieces and store in cool dark dry place.

    Healthy Meals ~ Winter Soup ~ VEGETABLE BEEF

    We’ve had several cold-snaps here in Texas already. It’s what I call “soup weather.” Makes you feel all warm inside. And I have a great, low fat recipe for vegetable beef soup that is super-simple! It uses ready-to-drink tomato juice as a base.

    Ingredients
    14.5 ounce can stewed tomatoes
    14..5 ounce can green beans
    8.5 oz can green peas
    11 ounce can corn
    14.5 ounce can carrots
    1 pound lean ground beef (93/7)
    46 ounce can of tomato juice
    Italian seasoning (to taste. I just pour it in. I never measure. I’d guess 2 teaspoons minimum)

    Preparation
    Brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain the grease. Pour all ingredients into a stock pot and heat to boiling. Serve and enjoy! It’s a hearty, filling, tasty, low fat soup.
    This will serve at least 8 people and has approximately 240 calories per serving and approximately 8 grams of fat per serving (less if you buy lower fat ground beef). I hope you like it!

    SPICY CHICKEN STEW

    2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces
    3 tablespoons butter
    2 large onions, chopped
    3 garlic cloves, minced
    1 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
    1 cup chicken stock or broth
    1 cup white wine
    2 teaspoon turmeric
    1 teaspoon red chili flakes
    1 teaspoon paprika
    1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
    sea salt and white pepper to taste
    Two generous cups of fresh herbs (a combination of cilantro, tarragon, basil AND parsley)

    • Bring the butter to a sizzle in a large skillet/saute’ pan.
    • Add chicken and fry on medium-hi heat until slightly browned all over. About 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Keep warm.
    • Add the onions to the pan, stir for a 3-4 minutes.
    • Add the garlic and saute, until onion has softened a little, another 1-2 minutes.
    • Add the chilli flakes and coriander, stir for a few seconds to release the aromas. 
    • Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and wine. 
    • Season with salt an pepper.
    • Bring to a simmer, cover the saucepan and cook for 45 minutes or so, occasionally stirring, until the sauce is reduced to a thick glossy sauce. I found it took about 1 hour and a half  to reduce the sauce. Alternatively, add a little cornstarch or flour mixed with water and stir into the pot as necessary.
    • Shred chicken and return to pan. 
    • Add the fresh herbs. Stir and cover for 10 minutes, so the flavors can infuse. Season again, if necessary.
    • Serve over rice or potatoes and garnish with lemon slices.

    TOASTED ONION SALISBURY STEAK SLIDERS & BONUS HOMEMADE ORANGE CRANBERRY SAUCE

    I made this recipe last week when I was trying to clean out the pantry and the fridge and was quite pleased with the results.  I never hesitate to experiment and/or substitute what I have on hand for what a recipe traditionally calls for.  We are usually (99% of the time) quite happy with the change up of ingredients.

    TOASTED ONION SALISBURY STEAK SLIDERS
    2 small flour tortillas, cut into small pieces
    1/4 cup milk
    2 tablespoons butter
    1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin
    1/2 red pepper, sliced thin
    1 1/2 pounds ground round
    1 package Laura Scudders toasted onion dip
    1 1/2 cups beef broth
    2 tablespoons flour

    • Pour milk over tortillas and let sit for an hour.
    • With your hands mix ground round and onion dip mix together and let sit for an hour in fridge.
    • Mix together the tortilla mixture and the beef mixture until uniform in consistency.
    • Hand form 6 small steaks.
    • In a large skillet, melt butter.
    • When sizzling, add onions and pepper and saute’ until caramelized.
    • Lower heat slightly. Arrange onions around the outside of the skillet and add steaks. Turn regularly until brown all over and cooked through.
    • In a saute’ pan, bring broth to a simmer.
    • Sprinkle flour into broth while constantly whisking until slightly thickens.
    • Lower heat, transfer steaks into broth mixture and top with onion mixture.
    • Serve over mashed potatoes.

    Since Thanksgiving is so close and Linda did a wonderful apple cranberry sauce yesterday, I thought I would share how very easy it is to make homemade cranberry sauce.

    CRANBERRY SAUCE
    1/2 cup orange juice with pulp*
    1/2 cup pineapple juice*
    1 bag cranberries
    2 cups sugar
    ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    1 teaspoon orange peel
    Wash cranberries and drain in colander. Mix orange juice and sugar in saucepan until dissolved. Add cinnamon and orange peel. Stir well, Add the cranberries and simmer over medium high heat until bubbling, stirring often. When the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat. Cook 10 minutes uncovered or until all cranberries have ’popped’. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for future holidays.

    Yields: 2 cups
    *You can use ALL orange juice if you prefer

    ***I like to make a double batch at Thanksgiving and freeze half for Christmas.

      CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES

      I found the recipe in an old Taste of Home magazine. This recipe is sooooooooooooooooo simple, but messy! Have fun making them. They are quite rich though – be forewarned!

      1 cup butter, melted
      1 can sweetened condensed milk
      3 pounds confectioners sugar (about 8 cups)
      3-10 ounce jars maraschino cherries(about 120 cherries), really well drained
      1-2 pounds milk chocolate candy coating, chopped (I used almond bark)

      • Combine butter and milk until smooth.
      • Gradually add in confectioner’s sugar until a soft dough forms.
      • Roll into 1 inch balls and flatten into 2 inch circles.
      • Place a cherry in the center of each one.
      • Wrap sides around cherry until cherry is completely covered and roll into a smooth ball.
      • Melt chocolate until smooth and dip each ball into the chocolate.
      • Place on wax paper until cool and sprinkle with sprinkles.
      • Cool well. 

      Important NOTE:  After about 2-3 days the white centers turn to liquid just like the Queen Annes – YUMMY!

      Honey Wheat Sunflower Dinner Rolls

      Hi everyone!

      This is Alexis from NibbleMeThis. I’m posting for Fire Day Friday this week because Chris is tied up moving one of his out of town offices this week.

      Ya’ll probably know I got my own Big Green Egg a while back and this is one of my favorite rolls I have made on it. I used this recipe for Honey Wheat Sunflower Bread but only made one loaf and it is a wonderful bread recipe.


      But I used the other half of the dough to make dinner rolls. I knew I was going to love it but was surprised how much Chris and the boys liked it because they are “white bread” kind of dudes. The rolls had a bit of sweet to them and the sunflower seed kernels added a nice texture.

      Oh yeah, this was funny. One of our older son’s friends was eating one when I mentioned they had sunflower seeds and he about choked, asking, “Am I supposed to be spitting the shells out?” because he thought the sunflower seeds were in the shells.


      Honey Wheat Sunflower Dinner Rolls
      adapted from Lillian Wittler’s Honey-Wheat Sunflower Bread

      2 cups warm water (120-130f)
      2 3/4 cups bread flour
      2 packages active dry yeast (quarter oz each)
      1 Tbsp white sugar
      2 cups whole wheat flour
      1 cup quick oats
      1/3 cup instant dry buttermilk powder
      1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
      1/4 cup creamed honey (you can use regular but I like creamed better)
      2 tsp salt
      1 cup sunflower kernels (unsalted)
      2 Tbsp agave nectar
      2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

      I use a Thermapen instant read thermometer to make sure my water is the right temp.

      Mix the warm water, 2 cups of the bread flour (not the whole 2 3/4 cups), yeast and sugar in your mixer bowl. Beat for 3 minutes on low (Speed 2 on my Kitchenaide).

      Cover with a tea towel and let it rise until it has doubled. The recipe said 30 minutes but mine took more like an hour.

      Fold in the wheat flour, oats, dry milk, butter, creamed honey, and salt.

      Stir in the sunflower kernels and as much of the remaining bread flour to get a good consistency. I ended up only using maybe 1/2 cup.

      Put on the dough hook and kneaded it until it all held together and pulled cleanly from the sides of the bowl, about 6-8 minutes.

      Take out of the mixing bowl and put it into another greased bowl then turn once. Cover and let rise until doubled, about another 30-45 minutes.

      Punch down and divide into two.

      I shaped one half for the bread loaf plan. The other half I made into equal golf ball sized balls. I put them in a greased, stone ware pie pan and let it rise until doubled again (about 30 minutes).

      When that is happening, I started my Big Green Egg and set it up for baking at 375f but you could do it in your oven.

      Place in your oven or Egg and cook for 20 minutes uncovered. Then cover it with foil and go another 15 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

      Brush with a 50/50 mix of Agave nectar and melted butter.

      Remove from the grill/oven and cool on a rack.

      This one is tasty and would be a great way to serve something different than the same old dinner roll this Thanksgiving.

      PARMESAN CHEESE BREAD/ROLLS

      PARMESAN CHEESE BREAD
      3 1/4 cups unbleached flour
      1 tablespoon active dry yeast
      2 teaspoons sea salt
      1 1/3 cup warm water
      1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago Parmesan Cheese
      extra-extra virgin olive oil

      • Sift together the four, yeast and salt.
      • Stir in the water until dough forms.
      • Sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese.
      • Transfer to a well floured surface.
      • Knead until soft, elastic and no longer sticky (about 10 minutes). Add flour as necessary to reduce stickiness.
      • Knead the dough until it remains rounded and doesn’t flatten out when left to sit for a few minutes.
      • Arrange into a round.
      • Brush the surface with olive oil.
      • Cover loosely with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 2 hours).
      • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
      • Brush a 9 inch round pan with olive oil.
      • Put remaining cheese on a plate.
      • Punch down the dough and knead a few more times with fresh flour.
      • For rolls – divide dough into12 pieces.
      • Roll each piece into a ball.
      • Roll each ball in the cheese and then place in pan with the edges touching. 9 balls around the outside, 3 balls in the center.
      • Cover with a flour sack towel and allow to rise again.
      • Cut a small slash in the top of each ball.
      • Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese.
      • Bake for 10 minutes and the reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden and crispy, about 20-30 minutes more.
      • Serve hot or transfer to a wire rack and cool and then slice.

      FRENCH ONION SOUP

      FRENCH ONION SOUP
      1/3 cup butter
      1 tablespoon sugar
      4 medium onions, thinly sliced**
      1 tablespoon flour
      4 cups hot water
      1 cup mild red wine
      2 tablespoons Superior Touch Better than Bouillon Beef Base
      1 tablespoon kitchen bouquet
      1 teaspoon sea salt
      1/2 teaspoon white pepper
      4 thin slices french or sourdough bread, toasted
      4 slices aged white cheddar cheese*

      • Melt butter in bottom of stock pot.
      • Stir in the sugar.
      • Separate onions into rings and add to butter. Cook until tender and golden.
      • Add flour and blend well with butter mixture and onions.
      • Add water, beef granules, kitchen bouquet, salt and pepper and stir well.
      • Simmer 15-20 minutes.
      • Toast bread and then butter it.
      • Ladle soup into 4 oven proof bowls that have been put on a cookie sheet for easier handling.
      • Place 1 slice of toast over top of soup.
      • Lay 1 slice of cheese on top of toast.
      • Bake at 400 degrees for 7 minutes or until cheese is melted.

      *mozzarella cheese works well too
      **I like a mix of Vidalia, Bermuda, white and yellow onions

      APPLE BLACKBERRY TURNOVERS

      We used to go to this little seaside town when we needed to get away and there was this really awesome seafood restaurant that was an old converted Victorian cottage/house, accepted only cash and always had a long line waiting for them to open their doors at dinner time.  They served awesome seafood of course, but also THE BEST apple blackberry cobbler,  I fell in love with the blackberry apple combination and use it whenever I can.  I normally make my own dough, but opted today for some Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry I had in the freezer.  They leaked just a little bit, they cleaned up pretty easy!
      APPLE BLACKBERRY TURNOVERS
      yields 8 turnovers
      1 1/4 cups blackberry pieces
      1 large Gala or Pink Lady apple, peeled, cored and diced
      1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
      1/4 teaspoon sea salt
      1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
      1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
      1 large egg yolk, whipped
      1 teaspoon water
      1 tablespoon sugar
      • Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.
      • Lightly flour puff pastry and roll to flatten.
      • Toss apple pieces, blackberry pieces, sea salt, cinnamon, apple pie spice and brown sugar until well blended.
      • Cut each pastry sheet into 4 pieces.
      • Whisk together the egg yolk and water.
      • Brush 2 sides of each pastry piece with the egg wash.
      • Divide the apple mixture amongst the pastry pieces.
      • Bring the points together to form triangles and press firmly together.
      • Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash and then sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
      • With a sharp knife put 2 small slits in the top as steam vents.
      • Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.