Swedish Meatballs (found this on epicurious at the request of Tony): 1 pound ground beef, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, soaked in 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 small onion, grated and drained, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 1/2 tablespoons flour (any kind), 1 cup chicken broth, 1/2 cup sour cream
Combine the first 8 ingredients (meat - nutmeg), don't mix to much. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls. Place 3/4 of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs for about 10 minutes. Remove them and most of the fat. Stir the flour and the remaining butter into the pan. Add the broth. Simmer until it thickens, about 2 minutes. Strain it with a sieve to remove clumps. Return it to the pan. Reduce heat to low; stir in the sour cream. Return the meatballs to the pan for 1 minute. We served them over whole wheat egg noodle pasta.
I left out the allspice because I didn't have any. I think I would do that again.
Simple Baked Pasta (Alan Alda made this on Martha): 3/4 cup olive oil, 1 pound rigatoni, or penne pasta ,2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, crushed, or 4 pounds very ripe summer tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick ,Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper ,1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place oil in a large bowl. Add dry pasta and stir until well coated; let stand for 20 minutes. Add tomatoes to pasta mixture; season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Transfer to a 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Cover with a parchment-lined aluminum foil. Bake, stirring a few times with a wooden spoon, for 45 minutes to 60 minutes. (If using fresh tomatoes, layer, alternating with the pasta mixture, beginning and ending with the tomatoes. And be sure to bake without stirring.)
Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, and stir to incorporate (Optional but recommended - stir in chopped fresh basil). Serve immediately.
Tim McGraw grandmother's chicken and dumplings(As seen on Oprah): 1 small chicken, Water, Pinch of salt, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 3 Tbsp. butter shortening, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 egg (or if you want you can cheat and cut up chicken breasts and boil them in chicken broth)
Boil chicken, adding salt to taste. When tender, pull chicken from the bone and return to the broth.
Pour flour into a bowl, cut in shortening, leaving a hole in the middle. Add 1 egg and enough buttermilk to form a doughy consistency (similar to how you would make biscuits). Sprinkle flour on cutting board. Pinch off part of the dough and roll into a thin sheet and cut into squares. Drop one square at a time into broth. Continue this until all of the dough is used. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer until tender.
Allow the dumplings to thicken the broth until it is a creamy consistency.
Vodka Cream
Sauce Pasta (Rachel Ray's
- "You won't be single for long"): Boil water for pasta -
and cook it while you make sauce. Then In a pan saute 2 minced shallots
and 2 garlic cloves with 1 Tbsp Xtra Virgin Olive Oil and 1 Tbsp butter.
Saute until clear - then add 1 C Vodka (pouring in a swirling motion
around pan 3 times as you stir) and reduce mixture by half (about
2 - 3 min), then add 1 C Chicken Stock (pouring in like the vodka)
and reduce by half again (2-3min). Next add 1 large can of crushed
tomatoes stir and bring to a bubble and then add 1/2 C Heavy Cream
and stir it all together. Remove from heat and before you ladel over
noodles - add some chopped fresh basil. Then garnish with parmesean
cheese before serving.
Creamy Chicken and Rice (my sister's famous dish): 1 box chicken flavor Rice-a-roni
prepared as box says. Remove from heat and add 1 can cream of mushroom
soup, 1-8oz container low-fat sour cream, extra mushrooms if you
like, and 4 cooked cut chicken breasts (or I use 2, 1/4 white rotissere
chickens from the grocery store, that I've taken the meat off of
- or you can use leftover chicken). Mix that all together and spread
into a sprayed baking dish (depending on how thick you like it -
11x7 is good) and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 min. Then
cover with Durkee French fried onion rings and cook for 5 more minutes.
Enjoy. Serves 4
Turkey
Burgers: 1/2 C mayo (yes I hate it - but
it works in this recipe), 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves, 10
Kalamata olives (pitted and chopped), 1 1/4 Lb ground turkey, 2
Tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes packed in oil, 3/4 tsp chopped fresh
thyme leaves, 4 sesame buns
In a bowl stir together mayonnaise, basil, olives, turkey, tomatoes,
thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Form mixture into four 1-inch-thick
patties. When forming patties, handle meat as little as possible
for a juicier burger. Prepare grill. Grill burgers on an oiled rack
set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals about 4 1/2 minutes on each
side for well-done. (Alternatively, burgers may be cooked in a hot
well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or ridged grill pan.) Make sure
burgers are cooked through. Toast sesame buns. Serve with spinach
and Nicole recommends a slice of fresh mozzerella - buffalo if you
can find it.
Stuffed
Chicken Breast ( from
my sis): 4 Chicken breasts, 1 C freshly
shredded mozzzerella cheese, 1/4 C. minced Basil, 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream,
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 3 cloves garlic minced, salt/pepper, 3 Tbsp
Mayo, 1 C fresh bread crumbs (Italian bread run through food processor),
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved.
Preheat oven to 425*, Spray 13X9 Pan
Combine Cheese, cream, lemon juice, 2 Tbsp of the basil, 2 tsp garlic,
1/2 tsp salt and pepper in a bowl and stir. Cut pockets in chicken
breasts ( I recommend your kitchen shears for this)- stuff with mixture-
and seal with toothpicks. In a separate bowls combine bread crumbs
remaining garlic and basil, 1 Tbsp oil, and mix. Now take stuffed
breast and rub on some mayo, place in the middle of the pan and pat
on bread crumb mixture. Continue process with remaining 3 breasts.
When all the chicken is in the pan and all the bread crumbs are on
top of it - In a separate bowl combine cherry tomatoes, oil salt/pepper.
arrange tomatoes and juice around chicken. Bake til crumbs are brown
and Chicken is 160* in the center - or roughly 25min.
Savory Crescent Chicken Squares (Donna Mesker's sister): 8oz Cream Cheese ,3 Tablespoon Margarine, melted , 3 - 4 Chicken Breasts, cubed (boil 30 min.) . 1/4 Teaspoon Salt, 1/8 teaspoon Pepper ,1/8 Cup milk ,1 bunch of green onions, diced ,2 - 8 oz Pillsbury Crescent Rolls , 3/4 Cup Seasoned Croutons, crushed (Marzetti Ranch)
Mix all ingredients with electric mixer. Use 2 crescent rolls (square) together, join seams and smash out. Put 1/2 cup of mixture into the center of each square. Pull up all 4 corners and twist. Seal seams. Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle with croutons. Bake at 350° for 20 - 25 min.
Donna made these last week - and man they were good!
Speedy Spinach
Quiche (
www.epicurious.com): 1 tablespoon butter,1 onion chopped, 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped
spinach, thawed & drained well, 9-inch refrigerated ready piecrust
(1/2 box), 1 teaspoon all purpose flour, 1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) grated
Monterey Jack, 1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) grated Parmesan, 4 eggs, 1/2
cup lowfat cottage cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/8
teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon dried dillweed
Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add spinach and stir until spinach is dry, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Dust 1 side of crust with flour. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter quiche dish or pie pan, floured side down. Press into pan, sealing any cracks. Trim edges. Sprinkle both cheeses over bottom of crust. Top with spinach mixture. Beat eggs, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and dillweed in large bowl to blend. Pour over spinach. Bake until filling is set, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut into wedges and serve.
Salmon Pesto Pasta ( an original creation from my brother): Salmon filets skinned and cut into cubes (they do skin them at the store usually if you ask), part of a shallot chopped fine, olive oil, pesto (see below) and bowtie pasta (or any pasta).
Boil water and add pasta in separate pan. In a different pan heat shallots with olive oil and add cubed salmon (salted) with a scoop of pesto and saute until salmon starts to flake. Remove salmon to a bowl and toss drained pasta in pan with pesto (as much as desired). Add salmon to pesto pasta (I poured out the excess liquid and threw it out) and serve.
Turkey Tenderloins with Pesto and Provolone Cheese (my sis and brother-in-laws recommendation from Bon Appetit on www.epicurious.com): 4 Turkey Tenderloins (slice lengthwise almost in half), 8 tablespoons Pesto (see below or buy), 3 Oz provolone cheese sliced, toothpicks.
Preheat oven to 375, sprinkle cut tenderloin with salt and rub entire tenderloin (inside and out) with pesto, put cheese in the middle and skewer closed with toothpicks. Arrange on rimmed baking sheet and bake about 20min. You can spoon drippings over if desired. Serve with pesto pasta, rice or roasted veggies. Serves 6
Pesto (My sister's famous recipe): In a blender or food processor add 2 C fresh basil, 1/3 C Pine Nuts, 1/2 C fresh grated parmesan cheese, 4 or 5 cloves garlic (depending on size), salt, and as you process add 1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Blend until it looks like Pesto. It lasts for a few weeks and rumor is you can freeze it. Don't freak out if the top layer discolors, just mix it in and it's fine.
Ham & Scalloped Potatoes (my sisters famous recipe ((ham&scallies)): Ham slices, Onion (chopped), Cheese (grated or chopped) *, 5-7 medium Potatoes (sliced) (russet or baking potatoes), Salt & Pepper, Flour
*You can use whatever cheese you have available, but it is usually either cheddar, Monterey jack, muenster, provolone, parmesan (just one, or a combination).
Spray the pan (13x9 baking dish) with cooking spray. Spread some onions on the bottom of the pan. Put a layer of ham over the onions. Next a layer of potatoes and then a layer of cheese. Sprinkle with a little bit of flour and salt and pepper. Repeat the layers beginning with ham. Pour some milk over the top (about 1-1 1/2 cups). Don't use too much milk or it will boil over into your stove. Bake 350 for 45min covered 10 min uncovered, let sit before serving. Just wing it with this one, you can't make a mistake!
Pot O' Beans (from the kitchen of Karen Durham): 1 lb. pinto beans , Thin pork chops (¾ – 1 lb) , 4 oz. can of green chiles (not jalapeños) , 2 T. cumin seeds , 2 T. chili powder , 4 cloves garlic , salt to taste , cilantro , pico de gallo
Cover beans with water and soak overnight. Drain water. Put beans in pot and recover with water. Cut off fat on pork chops (leave on bone). Add remaining ingredients and slow cook for 3-4 hours on low heat. If water remains, remove cover. When ready to eat, add 1 T. oregano or cilantro. Serve with Pico de Gallo (see recipe below), cheese, etc.
Pico
de Gallo (from Ruth Allis):
2 tomatoes, 1 onion, 2 T.
cilantro, 3 or 4 serrano or jalapeño peppers, 3 cloves of garlic,
1 T. salt, 1 T. lime juice
Chop ingredients and mix together.
Kathy Stracka's, Tamale Pie (one of Mark's favorites from college & childhood): 1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey), 1 C. chopped onion, 1 C. chopped green pepper, 2 - 8oz cans tomato sauce, 1 - 11oz can Green Giant mexi-corn, 1 clove garlic (minced), 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 3 tsp chili powder, dash pepper. 6 oz American cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer), 3/4 C. yellow cornmeal, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 C. cold water, 1 Tbsp. butter.
Cook meat, onion and green pepper in a large skillet 'til meat is lightly browned. Drain. Stir in tomato sauce, corn, garlic, sugar, salt, chili powder, and pepper. Simmer 20- 25 min (or until thick), add cheese. Turn into 9X9X2 baking dish (which has been sprayed or greased).
Make cornmeal topping: stir cornmeal, salt and cold water in a saucepan on med heat until thick. Add butter and mix well. Spoon over hot mixture in baking dish and smooth w/ spoon. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 40min. Serves 6.
Slow-cooked Chicken Tacos: In a Crockpot put - 4 Chicken Breasts, 1 can chopped green chilies, 1/2 onion chopped, 1 packet taco seasoning mix, 1/3 C. water. Cook on high 3-4hrs or on low for 8-9 hrs. When meat is done cooking shed it up and spoon into Taco shells and add your favorite toppings.
You can also use beef or other meats that are not ground.
This recipe originally came from Cooking Light Magazine, but I couldn't find it so it's mostly out of my memory. This one a monkey could do!
Mexican Stuffed
Shells: 12 pasta stuffing shells (cooked and drained), 1 lb ground beef, 1 jar
(12oz) Picante sauce (med or mild), 1/2 C. Water, 1 (8oz) can tomato
sauce, 1 (4oz) can green chilies (chopped & drained), 1 C. (4oz)
monterey jack cheese, 1 (8oz) can French Fried Onion Rings (Durkee)
Brown and drain ground beef. In a bowl combine
Picante sauce, water, and tomato sauce. Stir 1/2C of Picante mixtures
into browned ground beef, along w/ chilies, 1/2 C. cheese, & 1/2
Can onion rings. Mix Well. Pour 1/2 of remaining Picante sauce
mixture on bottom of 8X12 baking dish. Stuff cooked pasta shells with
ground beef mixture, and place into baking dish. Pour remaining Picante
mixture over stuffed shells and bake for 30min at 350* in the oven -
uncovered. After the 30min, remove from oven, top with remaining cheese,
and onion rings - then return to oven for 5-7 more minutes (or until
golden brown).
Greg Broughman's Stroganoff: 1 med yellow onion, 1 stalk celery, 1 med green pepper, 1 pkg. sliced mushrooms , 1½ can beef or chicken broth (depending on meat or availability), 1 lb Pork (chicken, tofu, or beef) cubed, 1 small container Fat Free sour cream, noodles (mini lasagna or egg yolk med-wide), salt, pepper, Lawrey's season salt, cayenne*, olive oil, corn starch
In a stock pot caramelize onion, celery, and green pepper (all chopped) with a bit of olive oil and seasoned w/salt, pepper, and Lawreys. Add meat of your choice (cut in cubes and seasoned with, pepper, Lawrey's & cayenne) cook 'til brown. Then add 1&1/2 can broth and let cook on med. 10-15min. Next add mushrooms (as many as you like) and cook for 20-30min longer. Now add a lg. scoop of sour cream (not whole container). If you prefer sauce thicker- add cornstarch and water to thicken as desired.
Serve over noodles and enjoy.
*season to your liking, but go light on salt if broth is high in sodium
You can't miss w/ this one! It's YUMMY!!
Hot Dogs: put dog in microwave, heat, remove and place snugly in bun, add ketchup and mustard to taste. (this recipe compliments of Mark Stracka)
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