Sweet & Spicy "Picnic" Chili

Forgive me for not using my own actual image but this morning I had a tremendous fall down 8 stairs or so trying to dodge a leg weaving cat and have severely wrenched my back, shoulder and wrist all wonky now.  I'm currently flat on my back in bed on my laptop.  I wrote this last night, thinking I'd get up, make it, shoot pics of it and post but that didn't happen per my slide on my butt down the stairs.   Hoping to be up and around tomorrow some...but wanted to give you all something today.  See you tomorrow hopefully.... *fingers crossed*

Since the last of the cool evenings seem inevitably upon us here in Georgia, I was wanting to pull out my chili one more time before its time for lighter spring fare.  Called "Picnic Chili" when I was given the recipe eons ago by a lovely, long lost internet forum friend, I was so intrigued by the ingredient list, not to mention the name that I immediately had to try it.  It has since become the ONLY chili my hubby will eat and has forever proclaimed it his absolute, dead favorite chili on the planet.  I'm not far behind him on praises but for different reasons.  For me, I think its great because its so dang easy to make with all the canned beans and condiments!  I am convinced that's where the "picnic" term came into play.  You simply brown your beef and then drop it all in a crock pot and let it go.  Its so simple but tastes like you've been working hard at it all day long in the kitchen. 

A Divine Brisket - My Food Porn

I can do it.  I have the willpower today to resist.  I.must.not.look.  Just keep walking.  You want the deli counter, not the butcher shop.  Boots, don't fail me now!  I nearly walk past the meat counter at my store but stop dead in my tracks, staring and drooling at the raw brisket laying there all nice and demure.  "Come on...buy me.  You know you wanna.", it taunts me.  Feverishly, I bite my lower lip....my heartbeat drums in my ear.  *THUD THUD THUD* And before I know it, I'm telling the overly hot, tattooed butcher boy Jimmy, I want a piece of his meat brisket.  He smiles up at me as he slowly wraps his the red, juicy meat in brown paper.  "Thanks, sweetheart.", he tells me while our fingers longingly touch as he hands over his the package.  "No....thank you.", I quip before being so rudely interrupted by my husband who, at the other end of the counter, while waving a plastic bag full of crab legs, bellows out "HEY HON!  I GOT CRABS!"  Sighing, and looking at the empathetic butcher god staring sympathetically at me, I mutter under my breath, "Great.  Just great."  The size 0 fashion model-ette standing next to me mockingly twists her lips into a evil sneer and sideways glances at me as Jimmy barks "NEXT!". 

Spicy Sweet Asian Beef

Ever come across a recipe that you think will be just "ho hum" but you want to try something different so you make you and then...BOOM!  Sparklers go off, a marching band trumps through your kitchen and the heavens open up and a beam of glorious light sprays across your stove?  Yeah...I had that last night when I made this recipe from Jennalaughs.com  

I mean, just LOOK at that picture for crying out loud!  The rich, spicy, sweet beefy sauce just beckons to me to remake it tomorrow.  I could, in all seriousness, eat this once a day & not ever get bored.

New Year's Appetizers!

I am so glad Christmas is over.  I just wasn't into it this year, being our first year away from family and friends because hubby got assigned to Ft. Benning in Georgia and everyone we know and love is in Ohio practically.  That and no snow down here kinda killed my holiday mood.  Hard to get in the Christmas mood when it looks like late fall in your front yard and the lawn guy is using a leaf blower instead of a snow blower.  Yeah.  Not we didn't eat it up in full glutton, Christmas fashion - we did but I am just personally glad this part of the year is over and we are nearly back to normal.

Now since everyone is getting prepared for New Year's Eve parties, I'd like to share two FANTASTIC recipes with you.  I am all for finger foods and drinks on New Year's.  Simple, easy, make ahead type of food is right up my alley and that's what I'm sharing with you today.  First up is a family goodie from my step-mom Lou who first introduced me to her ridiculously uber famous Nacho Rolls that everyone demands near every holiday event (these and Buckeye Brownies but that's a whole other post).  Imagine an egg roll meets a taco, falls in love and then this is what their kid would be like.  YUM on every level.  Secondly, I'd like to introduce you to Sally (Evil Caramel Sauce fame) Darling's so simple its mind boggling Holiday Bourbon Whiskey Meatballs, which graced my holiday table yesterday and will furthermore be added to every appetizer tray I ever make henceforth.  LOL

Sloppy Joe DiMaggios - for the kid in us all!

If you have super picky husband or the utterly indecisive child who can't make up their minds between hamburgers or hot dogs, then this is a really great option for your dinner table.  Meet the best of both worlds - sloppy joes with hot dogs in a nice, simple homemade sauce that is spicy enough for the hubby yet slightly sweet enough to please the kids too.  I know you're probably like "eww hot dogs in a sloppy joe sammie!?"  Yes, yes indeed.  I too turned my nose up to them, sure I'd be ordering pizza to replace this strange concoction but man, one bite and I was hooked.  Its all about the sauce!  Give it whirl and see if it doesn't replace the canned sloppy joe version at your table.

Rachel Ray really hit the mark with this one.  In the hustle and bustle of this holiday season, I'm all about the quick and easy.  This has been a continual favorite of ours for about two year now and running.  Whenever we can't decide what we want or when we have zero time on our hands, this is the throw together we fall back on every time.  Its easy, its delicious and leaves everyone's bellies warm and happy.

Just a few FYI's - Rachel's version calls for sprinkling shredded cheddar on top but I've found the cheddar slices are much more practical for these but to each their own.  Hers also uses ground beef but ground turkey is just as awesome and I think the turkey really soaks up the sauce flavors.   Oh, and the leftovers make really great nachos oddly!

Sloppy Joe DiMaggios

via Rachel Ray

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds lean ground sirloin or ground turkey

1 package beef or pork hot dogs, sliced 1/2-inch thick

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick

1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce

8 cheddar cheese slices

8 hamburger buns

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it apart into small, small bits as it browns. Add chopped hot dogs after 3 to 4 minutes then cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Add the onions to the pan and cook to soften, 5 to 6 minutes more. Drain if you have alot of grease in your skillet.  Return to skillet.  

In a bowl mix the spices, sugar, Worcestershire and tomato sauce. Pour sauce over the meat and simmer a few minutes to combine flavors. Place a slice of cheddar on bottom half of bun. Spoon onto buns and serve. (or sprinkle cheddar over top and serve)

Makes 8 REALLY big sammies.

$10 Dinner Delight - Beef Stroganoff

Renae's delicious looking picture!

The other day there was an article online about how to feed a family of 4 for under $10 and it irritated me to no end.  I completely understand the need to skim things down in this economy and budget out your purchases to get the most for your dollar.  I get it, I do.  BUT - what this lady failed to realize is that when you omit things like fish from your diet, you're not just saving money but you can be planning disaster for your body and your children's.  I know fish can run upwards of $16 a pound, but what price do you put on your children's health?  When you omit fruits, you can run the risk of scurvy from lack of vitamin C.  (yes, that disease that killed countless sailors way back in the day)  People don't realize that when you skim back on your purchases to save some money, you can potentially be hurting the growth and health of children and teenagers who need the extra vitamins and nutrients from things like fish, fruits, whole grains and milk that you're trying to scale back on.  

The article also went on to say that yes, you could feed a family of 4 for $10 if you didn't mind eating the same things over and over again.  Bull, I say, it just takes some work, planning, coupon cutting and bargain shopping.  You have to read your sale flyers and buy the fruits/produce that are in season.  When I saw Renae's site called $10 Buck Dinners, I was delighted to see the variety of things she offered up, all on a budget scale.  There isn't anything boring on her site at all!  From stews, to fish, Mexican and more, she proves you can do a budget meal that isn't boring or skimpy in the least.  She's doing it right!

I made her beef stroganoff the other day and was so pleased with the results.  I am deathly allergic to mushrooms and her version had optional 'shrooms instead of relying on them to flavor the whole dish as alot of stroganoff's do.  Mine looks much different from hers I think since I used beef stock I had on-hand and I added some extra sour cream making it lighter in color.  Also, I had a eye of round roast lying around so I used it but it was a bit too tough.  I wish I would have went the route of a chuck roast as she recommended because it would have made for ultra tender beef in every bite.  (I should have known better since I usually cook eye of round overnight in a crockpot but I was trying to be ultra cheap and use what I had on hand.)  I just love the flavor of this recipe and I highly encourage you to try this and all Renae's other dishes.  I know I have my eye on quite a few there and I will be making this stroganoff again soon.  :)

Thanks Renae for letting me post this!

I added some parsley for color.

Beef Stroganoff

from Renae @ $10 Buck Dinners

1 to 1 1/2 lb beef tender, chuck roast or stew meat (sliced)
4 Tbsps flour
1/2 large white onion, diced
2 cups broth (or water with Beef Caldo or powdered broth)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsps butter or lard
Additional salt & pepper to taste
1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained (optional)
2/3 package of egg noodle (save the rest for a day for soup) 

Cut beef into strips, about 1/2 inch thick by 2 inches long at most. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Heat lard and fry strips in a large skillet over medium heat, just till brown. Next, add onions and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes.

Sprinkle flour onto meat and mix to coat. Once meat is coated well with flour, pour in beef broth. I use Beef Broth in powder with water to save money. Just follow directions and it works great! After you add broth, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once you’re up to broil, reduce to slow simmer, cover and continue cooking for 45 mins to an hour.

Before serving, stir in sour cream and add water to desired consistency. Mix well and heat briefly, salt and pepper to taste and serve over cooked egg noodles.

 If you would like to see, I made my culinary 'bucket list' finally.  lol

Pan Fried Meatloaf in Pepper Rings

So doesn't look like meatloaf does it?  Bear with me!  :)

My mother used to make those super hideous stuffed pepper with this rice & meat concoction that made me gag the second I smelled it cooking.  Oh how I dreaded that supper night.  Bleck!  I love all the flavors involved but just the way they were put together didn't work for me.  And the "meatloaf" was dry!  Double bleck.  Then one day, I saw Sunny Anderson making something similar.  She took a bell pepper and made rings from them...then packed in a meatloaf mixture and topped it with a tomato sauce.  Then she did some funky fried sage thing and she lost me there.  But the idea stuck with me that I could take my beloved meatloaf and do something different than that big blob of meat with ketchup drizzled over top.  (oh, I've done the bacon route, the bbq sauce glaze...you name it, I've ate it.) 

What I did was use her same pepper ring idea and made my own meatloaf mixture.  Then I topped it with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese and baked it till all was bubbly and done.  What happens is this - you pan fry and sear both sides of your packed ring for a few minutes to lock in the flavors.  Then you bake them to cook them throughout and what you get is a super moist, fabulously flavorful meatloaf.  My hubby adores these.  He walks in the house and immediately knows what's in the oven.  Even if you're not a bell pepper fan, cook them in the pepper rings and then peel it off after cooking.  The pepper still lends its wonderful flavor to the meat.

(I don't normally do a gratuitous step by step cooking guide for my recipes because I think most of what I do, you probably already know how to do on your own.  This one merited a photo step by step since its a bit different.)  Oh...and forgive my yucky photos on this round...kitchen has horrible florescent lighting.  I try to do natural lighting but what can you do when its night?  :)

For this recipe you will need: a small jar of spaghetti sauce, mozzarella and/or provolone cheese, 2-3 bell peppers of your color choice, oil for frying and your meatloaf mix.  (if you do not have a meatloaf mix of your own, see bottom of recipe for the one I use.)

Step 1 - Hollow out your pepper (I used yellow and orange ones here but use what you can get or like).  Slice into 1 - 1 1/2 inch rings.  Try to get about 3 rings per pepper.  Slightly over-pack the rings with your meatloaf mixture.  The meat shrinks a bit when cooking. 

Step 2 - Drizzle a little oil in your skillet and heat over medium high heat till browned, about 5 minutes per side.  Take care flipping them over as the meat will have shrunk a bit and the pepper softened some.  If they come apart, just replace the ring as best you can.  It happens, no biggie.

  Step 3 - Place about 1 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of a shallow casserole dish.  Gently remove your meatloaf rings from the skillet and place in your casserole dish.  Cover each meatloaf ring with tomato sauce and top with your cheese.  (I did a mix of provolone and mozzarella.)

Step 4 - Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes uncovered until sauce is bubbling and your cheese has browned nicely all over.  Be careful removing to your plates since they are even MORE soft and can separate.

 

Dad's Meatloaf Mix

The meatloaf mix I used is from my dad.  Its really simple and basic but good and juicy.  Feel free to use your own meatloaf mix that your and your family like but here is my dad's basic, no frills mix if you want to try it.

1 pound of ground beef

1 egg

½ cup seasoned bread crumbs (crushed Ritz crackers work too or panko)

½ cup ketchup (or tomato sauce, whichever you have)

2 teaspoon garlic, minced

½ small onion, chopped finely

1 Tablespoon McCormick Steak Seasoning

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot sauce (or more if you like it spicy)

salt/pepper to taste

Place everything in a bowl and mix but don't overwork it.  Gentle hand mixing is the key, just like when making meatballs.  Over mixing the meat makes it tough.  (same with making hamburger, meatballs, meatloaf rings etc!)  

Bow-Tie Lasagna Rave and Review

Her stylized, yummy picture!

Just like it says, I'm writing today to review the Bow-Tie Lasagna from Rozanie at Tasty Kitchen.  In fact, I'm absolutely going to RAVE about it because this dish was simply phenomenal.  So good in fact, my hubby and I gorged ourselves on the 6 portions.  We totally pigged out and its a rare recipe that makes us do that.  This was one of those gems that you can't quit eating.  We even had rolls with it and *still* ate all 6 servings.  Its just really, really good food, folks.

When I saw it, I thought "Wow, like a homemade Hamburger Helper!  Cool!"  I added it to my recipe file and it sat there for weeks.  Then one night, I didn't have much sitting around for dinner but I knew I had enough to make this.  So I tried it and let me tell you - Hamburger Helper would be selling completely out in stores everywhere if they could make theirs taste 1/10th the way hers does.  Its soo creamy, so rich tasting that you just cannot stop yourself from eating it.

My "Hurry Up, I'm Starving!" picture.

I've heard of people stirring in cream cheese to add some creaminess to their tomato sauce but this version uses sour cream.  The extra zip and tang really set off this dish and made it pop with flavor.  I read some of the reviews before I made it, and like alot of them, I stirred in some grated parm cheese with the last of the ingredients and let it melt in with the mozzerella cheese.  Then I added more before serving.  I've made this twice now, once using ground beef and the other using sweet Italian sausage and both were amazing.

Do yourself a favor and make this one night when you need a quicky dinner.  You won't be sorry...and you'll never reach for a box dinner again.  That's it folks...simple, fast and easy!  I used Ragu's traditional sauce because I was just too lazy to make my own and I had it sitting around.  She uses her own homemade sauce.  So preference is yours!  Mine looks a little 'soupy' because I don't think I had enough noodles left over in my box.  (just a note that yours will probably looks different depending on the sauce you use)

Bow-Tie Lasanga by Rozanie

• 1 pound Ground Chuck or Italian sausage
• 5 cups Bow Tie Noodles
• 3 cups Spaghetti Sauce (or Pizza Sauce, Whatever You Prefer)
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (or More, Make It To Your Taste)
• ½ cups Mozzarella Cheese
• ½ cups Sour Cream

Fry meat in small pan. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

After noodles are cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in your spaghetti sauce.  Add your fried hamburger, seasonings, cheese, and sour cream. Fold together and allow it all to combine and melt together, over low heat, for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

My Homemade Horseshoe/Murphy Burger

Call it what you will...horseshoe, Murphy burger, hamburger stack...they're all delicious!  I saw the horseshoe version on Diners, Drive In and Dives and knew I could come up with my own version simple enough.  Just figuring out the cheese sauce would be the key.  (yes, I know the Murphy burger was with a gravy sauce...same principle though.)  And then, the other day, Man vs Food visited ANOTHER place that had a similar secret sauce and he tasted it and asked if there was Worchestershire sauce in it.  She told him yes.  So I filed that in the back of my head for when I went to make my own.  The concept is fairly simple - a burger, fries, Texas toast all stacked up and smothered in a cheese sauce.

I struggled with what cheese to use.  I have made homemade cheddar sauces enough to know they can get funky chunky and clumpy if not done right so for this, I thought I'd use good old Velveeta.  But at the store, NEXT to the Velveeta was a blue box of Kraft's Deluxe Cheese, just like Velveeta.  I love their Deluxe macaroni so I figured I'd give this a try.  I'm not a fan per say of the Velveeta b/c it reminds me of stuff they serve to children at restaurants and my grown up palate likes real cheese versus processed stuff but for this recipe, the melting factor of Velveeta won out.  You just can't get cheddar to behave like Velveeta.

My results were really, really outstanding.  My hubby (who I think was skeptical of my idea to begin with) took one bite and went "Oh my, that's good." and continued to decimate his plate in about 5 minutes flat.  We're talking ALOT of food here people.  Yeah, he's an Army boy but he's a semi-skinny one who doesn't really plow through food that way.  In fact, my kids always joke about when we go to a restaurant that Jon is the pokiest eater alive...and here he was pounding through this huge plate of food like he hadn't eaten in a week.  And he downed an entire homemade chocolate shake too.  That says a TON about how good this meal was.

I would recommend doing your cheese sauce first since melting it slow is the key here and takes the longest.  I baked my fries and put then in about the same time as I started the sauce.  Feel free to use whatever fries you want, I'm just particular to the skinny fries b/c I can bake them and they get mega crispy without extra oil added in.  I did Texas toast but I think sourdough would be just as awesome.  The great thing about this is, its totally adjustable for how many people you're serving.  This version made enough cheese sauce for 4 servings.

Homemade Horseshoe Hamburger Stack

1 pound of hamburger
8 pieces of Texas toast (or your favorite bread)
1 bag of frozen french fries (Fast Fries ruled here)
1/2 lb. box of Velveeta or similar melting cheese
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp ground mustard powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Steak seasoning (I use McCormick's)

Shape your hamburgers into 4 quarter pound burgers.  Sprinkle both sides liberally with steak seasoning and set aside.  Chunk up the Velveeta cheese into smaller pieces so they'll melt faster.  Set aside.  Begin pre-heating your oven for your fries.

In a medium sized sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  When melted, add flour and mix well and allow roux to cook for two minutes.  Whisk in the milk gradually till smooth and thick, stirring constantly.  Add the cheese and allow to melt, stirring consistently so as to not burn.  Once melted and smooth, add the Worchestershire sauce, mustard powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Stir well to combine.  If the sauce is TOO thick, add a splash of milk until desired consistence.  You want something thin enough to drizzle or pour..not thick like macaroni sauce.  Reduce temperature to low, stirring often.

Fry your burgers till desired wellness while you cook your fries according to package directions and sprinkle with salt when they come out.  Toast your bread.  Stack up by 2 pieces of toast on the bottom, burger on the toast, fries on the burger and drizzle sauce over it all.

(btw - a smaller version with ONE piece of toast and smaller portion of fries is called a pony shoe. lol)  Hope you like it...we sure did!

Did *I* Just Make This?!

I love beef stroganoff.  The creamy sauce, the chunks of tender beef...and noodles.  Let us not forget the blessed buttered noodles.  It vexes me however that I am deathly (as in keel over dead in 5 minutes type of deathly) allergic to mushrooms and it seems that ALL delicious looking stroganoffs have mushrooms in one way, shape or form.  YUCK!  Death on a plate?  You eat it.  I'll go eat cake or something!  LOL  However, the other day strolling through Tasty Kitchen I found a recipe from calou84523 that just made me want to eat my monitor.  There before me was a gorgeous looking plate of beef tips with mushrooms & sherry over risotto.  It's like a glorified, beefed up version of stroganoff.  Beefed up?!  You get it!?!  Well I thought it was funny.

Lou's version had mushrooms and I lamented.  Lou's version had risotto which I'm just way too lazy to make b/c it's near 100 degrees outside and I cannot stand the thought of hovering over a simmering pot for an hour straight stirring molten lava risotto.  Lou's version had left over roast beef.  Is there such a thing?  Surely not in my house.  Roast beef, brisket, steaks....anything beef related is gobbled down like it came from the last cow on Earth.  No - this would not do.  But I wanted it.  So I adapted.  Below is my adaptation of Lou's recipe.  It was delicious, it was heavenly...it was buttery, melt in your mouth kinda good.  My first bite was unbelievable.  I thought to myself "I can't remember making anything more delicious." And I can't.  Its like something out of a bonafide restaurant.  I half expected a bill after dinner with a mint.  (mmm, mints.)

Find Lou's version above by click on his link.  Here is mine!

Beef Tips in Cream & Sherry Sauce

• 1 pound Beef Tenderloin Or Sirloin Tips    *see note below*
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• ½ White Onion, thinly sliced
• 1/8 tsp dried thyme (or fresh, chopped thyme if you have)
• ½ cups cooking sherry
• 1 cup Beef Stock (or the leftover cooking broth from note below)
• 1-½ cup Heavy Cream
• 3 Tablespoon Corn Starch
• 3 Tablespoon Cold Water
• Coarse Kosher Or Sea Salt (to Taste)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Beef Flavoring Crystal (or the cubes, whichever you have)\

 *Note*  I cooked my beef tips in a crockpot overnight.  Threw them in with  32 ounces of beef stock, 1 bay leaf, a sprinkling of garlic powder, salt & pepper.  Left it on low overnight.  Ta-dah!  Pull out the beef, set aside to cool and reserve the cooking liquid.  You'll need some.  Once the meat is cooled, shred into big chunks with two forks.  Set aside. 

 Add butter to a frying pan set over medium heat.  Once better melts and starts getting foamy, add the sliced onion, sprinkling them with a tad bit of salt.  Sweat the onions out till they are just starting to get browned.  Add sherry and thyme, stirring well and scraping bottom of pan to get all the goodies off the bottom.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.  Add reserved beef broth and reduce the liquids down nearly half.  Takes about 6-7 minutes).  Pour in the cream and taste the sauce.  Add any flavorings you may need.  I used salt & pepper, then decided I wanted mine to be a bit more "beefy" so I added a few sprinkles of beef flavoring crystals.  Mix the cornstarch and the water to make a pasty slurry and add to the sauce, stirring continually until it thickens up.  (won't take long)  Add your chunked up beef and heat through.  Serve over noodles, risotto, potatoes, etc.

Makes 4 big portions.  Enjoy!