Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2013

Christmas Eve Dinner

Horseradish-Crusted Steak Roulade
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Veggies
Rolls (see bread page)
Maple Creme Brulee with fresh berries and whipped cream
Red Velvet Cake

Christmas Day Breakfast
Cinnamon Rolls (see bread page)
Breakfast Casserole and Hash Browns/home style potatoes (see 2012 Christmas)

Christmas Day Lunch/Dinner
Squash Soup
Steak Sandwiches (leftovers)

Horseradish-Crusted Steak Roulade  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/horseradish-crusted-steak-roulade-recipe/index.html

Pan Gravy: 

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2-3 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1/2 cup red wine
• Pan juices/drippings from Roasting Pan
• Salt and pepper
• In a container with a lid, place 1/2 cup broth, 1 tsp salt and pepper, and flour. Put lid on and shake vigorously to make the "slurry". Place the Roasting pan with the juice on stove and heat on high heat. Pour in the wine. Scrape the bottom of pan to remove the bits. If the roasting pan is not big enough to hold the rest of the broth, pour drippings into a sauce pan - CAREFULLY.  Add the rest of the broth and the slurry. Whisk. Boil, stirring constantly, over high heat until thickened. Take off heat once the sauce is just thickened, if you keep heating after it thickens it will turn to solid jelly looking thing when it cools.

Mashed Potatoes

3  pounds red skinned potatoes

2+ tbsp salt

1 cup half-and-half

2 tbsp butter

6 cloves garlic, crushed

Directions

Peel (optional, if desired) wash and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt, and cover with water. Add garlic to water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.

Heat the half-and-half in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat, add butter, and set aside.

Remove the potatoes, drain. Add half-and-half/butter and mash together with potatoes. Add salt and pepper if necessary/desired. Serve warm.

Roast Root Vegetables

16 oz bag baby carrots

1 butternut or acorn squash, peeled and cubed

2 large parsnips OR beets, peeled, trimmed, and cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick cubes

18 pearl onions, peeled

2-3 large sweet potato, cut into similar size as other veggies

1/2 to 1 whole head garlic, separated into cloves, unpeeled

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried sage OR 1 tbsp fresh chopped sage

Salt, Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup Extra-virgin olive oil

4 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put all the vegetables and the herbs in a large baking dish. Season well with salt and black pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat them evenly.

Put the baking dish in the preheated oven and cook, stirring the vegetables occasionally, until they are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Pour butter over veggies. Mix to coat. To serve I will be transferring them to a platter with the steak roulade.

Maple Creme Brulee with fresh berries and whipped cream http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/maple-syrup-creme-brulee-recipe/index.html?ic1=obinsite top with berries and whipped cream if desired

Squash Soup
In a blender, mix the leftover squash, yams, and onion with 2-3 cups chicken stock - in batches, until all smooth. Heat on stove top, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 3 tbsp butter. Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Week of Dec 22, 2013

Sun - Baked Chicken and Dumplings
Mon - Polenta and Sausage

Tue - See Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Day
Wed - See Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Day
Thur - Left Overs

Baked Chicken and Dumplings

chicken and veggies

1 lb cooked, diced chicken or turkey

1 can cream of celery or chicken soup

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 cloves of garlic, pressed

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 small bag of frozen mixed veggies

1 1/2 can of water

salt and pepper

Sauté the onion, celery and garlic until onion is translucent. Meanwhile, mix soup, water, salt and pepper in a 9x13 baking pan. Add all other ingredients, and mix together.

 dumplings - drop biscuits

2  cups flour

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp soft butter

4 tbsp shortening

3/4 cup butter milk (to make butter milk - add 1 tsp of white vinegar to 3/4 cup milk, let sit 2 minutes)

 Mix dry ingredients, butter and shortening in a large mixing bowl with a fork or pastry bender. Until it resembles peas. Add butter milk mix until it forms a dough. Scoop small dumplings out of the mix and drop into the pan on top of the chicken/veg mix.

Bake at 375 uncovered until the dumplings are golden brown and done all the way through. About 30-40 minutes.

Polenta and Sausage http://www.foodchannel.com/recipes/recipe/polenta-with-sausages-and-tomato-olive-ragout/

Week of Dec 15th, 2013

Tue -  Pork Chops
Wed - Spaghetti and Meatballs
Thur - Fried Rice

Spaghetti and Meatballs

 Fri - Oven Grilled Bacon Sandwiches

Sat - Chicken Tortilla Soup

Pan Fried Pork Chops

4-6 (about 1 1/2 lb) pork chops

3/4 + 1/4 cup  milk

1 egg

3/4 cup bread crumbs (I use Progresso Italian)

Oil to coat the bottom of the pan (veg or canola)

flour coating:

1/2 cup AP flour

Pork Chop Dinner

1 tbsp seasoning salt (such as Johnny's)

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

To bread the chops you will need: 2 bowls, 2 paper plates, 1 non-stick cooling rack, a fork. Set up the assembly line: bowl with 3/4 cup of milk, paper plate with flour coating, bowl with 1 egg and 1/4 cup milk beaten together, paper plate with bread crumbs, and last the cooling rack. Put all the chops in the 1 st bowl. let set in the milk for 5 minutes. One chop at a time, place on the flour and coat with the coating. Dip in the egg mix. the place on the bread crumbs and coat the chop. Lay on the cooling rack until all chops are breaded.

To cook the chops, heat the oil in a large skillet (with a lid) on med-high heat. Add chops one at a time, being careful not to splatter yourself. Cover, and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the bottom side is golden brown and top is starting to turn from pink to white. Turn and cook until done. Middle of chop should reach 160F. Let rest 5 minutes on the cooling rack to drain oil. Serve with mashed potatoes and milk gravy (recipe follows).

Milk Gravy

About 1 tbsp Pan drippings from meat (chops, bacon, sausage, ect)

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp leftover flour coating (or AP flour + seasoning salt)

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups milk

Scrap the pan and get the chucks out. Melt the butter in the pan on high heat. using a whisk, add the flour coating mix to the pan, turn down the heat to low and stir for 2 minutes or until it smells nutty. Turn the heat back up to high and add the milk, constantly whisking. Boil until the gravy comes to the thickness you like (remember it will continue to thicken off the heat for a bit). Taste, add salt and pepper as necessary.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Prepare spaghetti according to package directions.
1 (25 oz) jar of marinara sauce

Meatballs:
Combine 1 lb ground Italian Sausage, 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl (I like my Batter Bowl for this), mix just until combined. Do not over mix. Using small or medium size scoop, spoon out scoop-fulls of mix, roll into ball and drop meatballs in large nonstick skillet - all should fit. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and internal temp of 185F is reached. Add sauce to skillet. Simmer until hot.  Serve with pasta.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/oven-grilled-bacon-cheddar-sandwiches-recipe/index.html

Week of Dec 8, 2013

Beef stir fry with noodles

Sun- Tuscun Stomboli (Pilsbury recipe)
Mon - Creamy Herb Chicken (Pasta-Roni recipe)
Tue- Ground Beef Tacos
Wed- Creamy Mustard Pork Chops with egg noodles (Campbells' recipe)
Thur- Stir Fry
Fri- Baked Potato Chowder

Tuscun Stomboli (Pillsbury recipe) http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/tuscan-stromboli/11542de7-4b1d-43bd-ae8f-c88a176f2767

Creamy Chicken Herb Pasta


Recipe Yield: 2 1/2 cups prepared
Ingredients
1 package PASTA RONI® Angel Hair Pasta with Herbs
1 pound uncooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 1/3 cups water
2/3 cup milk
Preparation Steps
1. In large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp. margarine over medium-high heat. Add 1 lb. uncooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces; cook and stir 5-6 min. or until no longer pink.
2. Slowly add 1 1/3 cups water and 2/3 cup milk; bring to a boil. Slowly stir in pasta and Special Seasonings. Separate pasta with fork, if needed. Return to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Boil uncovered, 4-5 min. or until pasta is just tender, stirring frequently.
4. Sauce will be thin. Let stand 3-5 min. to thicken.
Cook Tips and Variations
Add 1 cup frozen peas or broccoli when stirring in pasta and Special Seasonings.

Ground Beef Tacos

1 lb lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup Pace Pacanta Sauce (not chunky) OR your fav salsa

1/2 tsp ground Cumin

1/2 ground Cheyenne pepper

8-12 corn tortillas

Shredded Cheese

1 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped

4 Limes

2 cups shredded cabbage OR lettuce (optional)

Chop onion. Add 1/4 of the onion and 1/4 of the cilantro and the beef to a skillet. Sprinkle on cummin and cheynne. Stiring frequently, brown beef, crumble. Drain. Return to skillet, add in sauce. Heat through.

Meanwhile,  add rest of onion and cilantro, juice of 1 lime, 1 tbsp of lime zest, and 1 tsp of salt to a bowl. Mix together. 

Heat tortillas in microwave in a paper towel for about 1 minute or until hot. (OR heat with a small amount of oil on in a pan, keep warm in a warmer) 

To assemble tacos: tortilla, beef mixture, cilantro mixture, cabbage, cheese, and a dash of fresh squeezed lime juice. 

Creamy Mustard Pork Chops with egg noodles http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipes/creamy-mustard-pork-chops-26226

Stir Fry 
1 lb of your favorite stir fry meat sliced thin (chicken, pork, whole shrimp, beef, etc)
2 tbs of Asian seasoning OR 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce (found in Asian isle at grocery store)
1 tbsp honey
2 tbs oil for cooking meat
1 tbsp fresh ground ginger
1 bag of frozen stir fry veggies
Cook meat in oil on medium-high heat until done. Add other ingredients and heat until warm. Serve with steamed white rice or ramen noodles.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup 

4 large baking potatoes, diced small

6 green onions, chopped

1/2 lb bacon

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Thickener: 2 tbsp AP flour, 1 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp bacon grease; you may use 2 more tbsp of butter instead of bacon grease if you prefer.

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut bacon into cubes. Cook bacon. Reserve 2 tbsp of drippings for thickener, drain the rest.

Put diced potatoes in a large soup pot. Cover potatoes with water - just enough water to cover no more. Cook on high until potatoes are tender, stirring often. Remove half of the potatoes and set aside. Lightly mash the potatoes that are in the pot with the liquid, do not over mash, leave lumps. Return diced potatoes to pot. Add milk, half the onions, sour cream, thickener and 1/2 the bacon. Boil until desired thickness is reached, stirring often. Serve with the remaining onions and bacon, and cheese as toppings.

Week of Dec 2, 2013

peppercorn pork tenderloin

Mon - Meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes
Tue - Cilantro Rice Skillet with Shrimp
Wed - Tortalini (fresh, prepare according to package)
Thur - Sloppy Jos
Fri- Peppercorn Pork Tenderloin with Rice Pilaf
Sat- stove top casserole 

meatloaf with mashed potoatoes

Meatloaf (my oven recipe)
2 lb 15% - 7% fat ground beef 
1-2 cups bread crumbs 
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp each salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp garlic powder OR 2 cloves fresh garlic pressed
Sauce Topping: 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 tbsp BBQ sauce, 2 tbsp brown sugar. Mix together in a small mixing bowl until smooth.
Mix beef, 1 cup bread crumbs, eggs, and seasonings in a large mixing bowl with a fork or by hand. Keep adding bread crumbs until the mixture holds together when made into a ball.
Put in a meatloaf pan with holes to allow the grease to dip out. Bake at 350F 1-1 1/2 hours or until middle is no longer pink and reaches 160F in the middle. If desired, spread the sauce topping over the meatloaf (dab off excess grease, if necessary) and leave in oven for 10 minutes.
Brown Gravy
2 tbsp drippings from meatloaf pan
2 tbsp butter
3-4 tbsp AP flour
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
Add drippings in pan, and butter to a pan. On high heat, using a whisk, add the flour to the pan. Stir until incorporated, then turn down the heat to low and stir for 1-2 minutes or until it smells nutty. Turn the heat back up to high and slowly add the broth, constantly whisking. Boil until the gravy comes to the thickness you like (remember it will continue to thicken off the heat for a bit). Taste, add salt and pepper as necessary.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
4 baking potatoes, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, pressed
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt and pepper
Boil potatoes in a large stock pan until tender, do not over cook. Mash with potato masher or a ricer keep in pan. Add garlic, butter, sour cream and salt and pepper. Mix over low heat until butter is melted and everything is incorporated. Serve in a serving bowl immediately.

Cilantro Rice Skillet with Shrimp http://www.ortega.com/recipes/shrimp-with-salsa-rice_49

DCB Sloppy Joes
4-6 hamburger buns
4-6 cheese slices
Filling:
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder
1 tsp seasoning salt
Spread beef on the bottom of the Deep Covered Baker. Sprinkle the seasoning salt on top. Cover, and cook in microwave on high for 13-15 minutes or until no longer pink. (OR you can do this on the stove top in a skillet on medium heat). Drain. Chop meat into small bits.
Add tomato paste, ketchup, sugar, and other seasonings to meat. Stir. Heat in microwave for 1 minute, or until warmed. Taste, you may need to add additional salt or sugar depending on your preference. Serve on warmed buns with cheese.

Peppered Pork Lion with Rice Pilaf
Oven Instructions: Bake in oven at 425°F for 30 minutes or until thermometer reaches 155°F. Let rest 5 minutes prior to slicing.
Grill Instructions: Place directly on heated grill grate and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until temperature reaches 155°F.
Rice: Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice Fast Cook Recipe, 6.2 oz Box, prepared according to package directions.
 stove top casserole http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/stove-top-one-dish-chicken-skillet-50389.aspx