Saturday, May 26, 2012

Hearty Chili Mac

This is a recipe from the Crock Pot: Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook. I tweaked a few things.

Tools that make this recipe easier/quicker for me (not necessary to do recipe):
The Pampered Chef Manual Food Processor
The PC Garlic Press
The PC Mix N' Chop

Printable Version

1 pound ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup chopped onion (I use just one whole onion)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups cooked macaroni

OPTIONAL: This is a change I made myself. I prefer a juicy chili mac so I like to add 1/2-1 can of tomato sauce- the small cans.

ORIGINAL: Brown beef in skillet over medium high heat. Drain fat and transfer beef to slow cooker.  Add tomatoes, onion, chili powder, garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, and black pepper; mix well. Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. Stir in macaroni. Cover and cook for another hour. Serve.

ALTERNATE: Continue to cook on the stove in either the skillet if large enough or transfer to a pot. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve.

Or as the case was tonight I let it continue to cook on LOW for two hours on the stove since we were busy.



Thursday, May 24, 2012

Banana Bread (or Muffins)- Egg and Milk Free

Another I found on All Recipes. At around 6 months old we discovered my youngest son had an egg (white and yolk) and milk allergy. He has outgrown his milk allergy and now tolerates eggs in baked goods, but will still break out in hives that has anything with egg that hasn't been cooked aggressively. He last broke out after french toast, but thankfully it was a minor reaction.

Printable Version

For muffins, bake for 20-30 minutes.
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup shortening
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas

Directions

  1. Note: This recipe does NOT contain eggs or milk. In a large bowl, cream sugar and shortening for about 5 minutes (mixture does not get smooth). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with bananas, beating after each addition (the batter will be thick). Spoon into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until bread tests done with a toothpick. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Haystack Cookies (Peanut Butter No Bakes)

This is a favorite family recipe and my aunt is the one who I originally obtained the recipe from. I have no idea how long it has been in our family, but it is well loved in our family....at least if you like peanut butter. My husband is not a fan. We call them Haystacks because we live in Iowa and lots of my family live in the country with horses or cattle or my aunt even had goats at one point.

Printable Version

3 1/3 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Milk
3/4 Cup Butter
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
4 1/4 cups of oatmeal

Cook first four ingredients until mixture boils for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and oatmeal. Mix well. Let cool until just warm. Use a spoon and just drop mixture on wax paper. Let it finish cooling and enjoy!

Good, Old Fashioned Pancakes

This recipe is courtesy of All Recipes, but it is our favorite pancake recipe so far because we always have these ingredients on hand. I do plan to try a buttermilk recipe too, but this is easy peasy.

Printable Version
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
  2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Salisbury Steaks with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, and Corn on the Cob

Tonight's dinner was Salisbury steak with gravy, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. My husband has been asking me for the last two weeks to make Salisbury steaks. We used to eat the On-Cor variety which he would  prefer, but I am adamant in our transition to home cooked meals as they contain less preservatives, etc. than the prepackaged variety. He said he would take either so I made sure I had the ingredients I needed on my grocery list and penciled it to our meal plan for the week.

I use the recipe that the Pioneer Woman has on her blog. I've come to love her blog and she has made cooking seem so much easier. I still can't believe I put off cooking like this for so long. I've copied the recipe from her blog, but all credit goes to her! I've edited the recipe to accommodate the few changes I have made.

When I made this recipe tonight, I used only a pound of beef, but kept everything else the same. I diced my onions and I did use cornstarch to thicken the gravy a bit. Now I know for some it may seem like so many ingredients, but several of the ingredients are things that get used across several recipes and become kind of a household staple like salt and pepper. Breadcrumbs, dry mustard, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and corn starch are something I almost always have on hand unless I run out so I just have to get beef both, an onion, and ground beef. Even with the onion I usually buy several at a time and have in my fridge because we use onion often.

For the mashed potatoes, I simply peel and boil potatoes (no set amount usually 5-6-7 depending on size) and I boil them for about 20-25 minutes on high. I then add milk and butter and mash it all up. If you like thicker potatoes, probably less milk and butter. I like them creamy so it's probably 1/2-3/4 cup a milk (like I said I don't measure) and about half a stick of butter. It's one of the few things I just eyeball and don't do exact measurements. Add salt and pepper to taste. My husband prefers garlic salt.

For the corn on the cob, I simply finish husking the cobs and then boil them for about 10 minutes on high. Then I serve with butter.

No picture tonight as I didn't think of starting this blog until after I made dinner tonight, but the Pioneer Woman's blog as several pictures.

Printable Recipe

MEAT MIXTURE
  • 1-1/2 pound Lean Ground Beef
  • 1/2 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs
  • 2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
  • 1 cube Beef Bouillon, Crumbed (or Powdered Beef Base)
  • 4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
  • Salt And Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, For Frying
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter, For Frying


GRAVY

  • 1 whole Onion, Halved And Thinly Sliced (or Diced If You Prefer)
  • 2 cups Beef Broth
  • 4 dashes Worcestershire (additional)
  • 1 Tablespoon Ketchup (additional)
  • 1 teaspoon Corn Starch Mixed With A Little Beef Broth To Make A Thin Paste
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Combine all the ingredients for the meat mixture and knead until all combined. Form into 4 to 6 oval patties, then make lines across the patties to give them a "steak" appearance.
Fry in a skillet with oil and butter over medium-high heat on both sides until no longer pink in the middle. Remove from the pan and pour off excess grease.
Reduce the heat to medium and add in the sliced onions. Stir and cook for several minutes, or until golden brown and somewhat soft. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire, and ketchup. Stir and cook to reduce.
OPTIONAL: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cornstarch/broth mixture to give the gravy a little gloss and to thicken it up a bit without lightening it (as flour would.)
**Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and more broth if needed for thinning.
Return the steaks to the gravy. Spoon gravy over the top and let them simmer and heat back up for a couple of minutes.



Welcome!

Hi there! So I've never been good at this blogging thing, but I am going to give it a shot again. Let me give you some background on me. I'm currently a stay at home mom, former veterinary technician, and also a self-employed pet sitter on an as needed basis. I have two boys and a little girl expected to arrive in August. My husband works full time as a Systems Analyst and will be returning to school to work on his Bachelor's degree come August as well.

When my husband and I first moved in together I didn't know much about cooking. A lot of our meals were frozen or came from boxes and a lot of fast food. I pretty much could make the easy meals -- spaghetti, grilled cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs, pancakes (using the mix), etc. It wasn't until my oldest son started eating meals that I decided to change how things were done. We ate fast food less, but still ate a lot of the boxed items- Homestyle Bakes, On-Cor Salisbury Steaks, Stouffers meals, Hamburger Helper, etc. I learned some new things to make myself, but I was still afraid by recipes that had a long recipe list. A few months ago after not being able to cook thanks to morning sickness and food aversion. I was ready to get back into the kitchen. We had eaten so much fast food and easy meals since cooking made me nauseous that I missed cooking. I vowed to cook more from scratch and meal plan on top of couponing to save money. So here we are. Most of our meals are mostly from scratch. I will share what recipes I use in this blogs, tips, and obstacles I have encountered while following recipes. So thanks for turning in and I hope I help a lot of other nervous cooks find their love for cooking!