10.10.2011

A Traditional Sunday Meal...on Thursday!



Quick & Easy Garlic-Parmesan Rolls
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
20 rise and bake frozen rolls (like Rhodes)
As you can see I did not have those on hand.
Place the butter, garlic, and Italian seasoning in a microwave-safe dish and heat until melted. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese.  Place the frozen dough balls in a large bowl. Drizzle the butter/cheese mixture over the dough and then toss quickly to evenly coat the dough in the butter and cheese. Place the dough in a 9×13″ pan and allow to rise until doubled (follow the package directions). Bake according to package directions until the rolls are evenly golden on top and serve as soon as you can pull them apart without hurting yourself. Makes 20 rolls, but don’t count on people being able to stop after 1 roll…


Perfect Pot Roast
1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 whole Onions
6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste
First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.  Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).   Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.   Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.  If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate. With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up. When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.  Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

These two recipes we tried made me think of the perfect Sunday meal but since football is the dominate theme in our house on Sundays I made the meal on a Thursday.  It was delicious.  We had a generous helping on mashed potatoes and the roast juices with the vegetables gave the best base to make gravy.  This was super delicious too to reheat the next day.  The parmesan rolls were so easy to make that I felt a little guilty serving “homemade” rolls with so little effort.  Again this meal made the Mini’s & Meringues alike be members of the clean plate club.  My kids even had seconds! 

10.09.2011

Football is Here!

I know that I have slacked slightly on my posts from last month....as in I haven't posted at all.  But I am still trying new recipes and taking photos so I haven't been a complete slacker!  Its never too late to put up a delicious recipe that you can enjoy while watching your favorite football team.  Wings are a traditional dish to serve but this recipe puts a twist on them, first they are baked not fried!  Totally awesome huh?  I don't know about you but you will NOT find me slaving away above a hot greasy mess on a Sunday.  These wings can be marinated up to 2 days in advance and then you just have to put them on a cookie sheet ( I suggest one lined with parchment paper instead of foil like the recipe calls for) and let them do their thing till the kitchen timer says "ding".  This recipe actually came from the CakeBoss guy.  Secondly what intrigued me as well was that instead of the vinegary buffalo sauce that wings are usually drenched in these were marinated in herbs.  Herbs that I could cut from my herb garden, the one that I have cared for all summer long yet only used once!  Well this recipe makes it twice!  And yeah when I cut the herbs I may have done a little dance like NFL players do in the end zone.  Awesome part is no one was around to see it to throw a penalty flag!  LOL.  The only thing I would differently is when I'm at the store to ask the butcher guys to cut my wings in half for me.  I was not a big fan of having to cut them myself, I actually gave up after trying to cut a third of them. 




3pounds chicken wings, drumettes and wing joints
1Tablespoon butter
Marinade:
1/3cup soy sauce
1teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4cup honey
1Tablespoon sherry
1Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1teaspoon dry mustard
1Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
3pressed cloves garlic
1fresh red chili, thinly sliced
1teaspoon black pepper
1/2teaspoon salt

PREPARATION:
  1. Whisk together all marinade ingredients. Place wing pieces in a large Ziploc bag with the ingredients, seal the bag and turn to coat the chicken well. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight (can be marinated two days ahead).
  2. Preheat oven to 375°. Line a half sheet pan with heavy duty foil and spray lightly or brush with oil.
  3. Remove chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade in a small saucepan. Lay the chicken pieces skin-side down on the prepared pan and roast 30 minutes. Baste with some of the reserved marinade and turn the pieces. Brush again with the marinade and roast another 30 minutes or longer until deeply bronzed.
  4. When the wings are almost finished bring the reserved marinade to a boil, lower heat to simmer and reduce the marinade until almost a syrup (don’t allow to become a syrup -- will be bitter). Remove from heat and whisk in the tablespoon of butter. Place wings in a large bowl, pour in contents of the saucepan and turn to glaze evenly. Plate and serve.

10.07.2011

BoOoOoOo!

7 years ago I was a subscriber to Martha Stewart Living magazine, why I was I have no clue.  I had 10 month old twins and a 3 year old but apparently I felt I had such free time to make things like this!  Yes! We did make the witch and cats that you see on the cover and we put it up in our yard every year.  Other than our house being behind it, ours looks exactly like the cover, lantern, broom and all 3 cats!  Since its been 7 years I went trolling on the internet to find some new Halloween decoration to add to our repertoire and here is what I found. 



TheseCagey Ghosts were exactly what I was looking for.  Something cute and easy to do with the girls while they are on fall break from school.  Today we set off to the store and got the items that we did not have on hand and the total project cost for us:  $19.00!  The most expensive part of it was the white sheets!  Here is what you will need.

  • Tomato cage
  • Duct tape
  • String lights
  • Twist ties
  • Socks
  • Sticks
  • Marker or craft foam for facial features - we used black felt
  • White twin sheet
To make one, set up the cage as shown. To form the head, use duct tape to secure the rounded prongs of the cage. Thread the lights through the cage, and secure them with twist ties

For each arm, ball up two socks and duct-tape them to a stick, placed in the ground.  Add marker or pinned-on craft foam facial features to a white twin sheet, then drape it over the structure.  Here is our finished ones and Mini Meringue Payton!


I can't wait to see them light up tonight!
Wow...what a difference a day makes! 

10.04.2011

Recipe Re-do

I've made this casserole before but since its not cold out yet to eat it in casserole form.  Also I've always wanted to try stuffed peppers but the rice and hamburger recipes do not sound appealing to me.  I thought of mixing it up a bit and made the casserole but stuffed it into green peppers.  It was YuMmY!  Enjoy!  Was perfect to heat one up for lunch the next day too!

Swiss Chicken Casserole
4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
2 cups diced celery
2 cups seasoned croutons
2 cups shredded swiss cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped onion
salt & pepper
4 green peppers, tops chopped off
cashews, chopped
Heat oven to 350 degrees. mix all ingredients except green peppers & cashews.  Put into casserole dish or stuff green peppers, sprinkle with cashews and bake for 40 minutes.