Shepherd's Pie

This is a OAMC recipe that I've made from the beginning, but just realized I've never posted it!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup peas
1 carrot, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 2/3 cups water
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 2/3 cups potato flakes
Garlic Powder
Pepper
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Paprika

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Brown beef with onion, peas and carrot. Drain grease and add a dash of garlic powder and pepper. Add soup and mix well. Pour into greased casserole dish.

3. Boil water, milk and butter. Remove from heat and add potato flakes. Spread over meat mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Sprinkle paprika on top.

4. Cover and bake at 375 for 30 - 60 minutes.

FOR OAMC:
* Do steps 2 and 3. Then wrap well with alum foil and freeze. Later, thaw and do step 4.

Serves: 6

Parmesan Crisps with Pancetta and Roma Tomato Salsa

Michelle and I saw these on the Food Network on Guy Fieri's show. We thought they'd make a great appetizer. And they did!

Ingredients
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/2 cup chopped pancetta
1 cup diced Roma tomatoes
2 tablespoons julienne fresh basil leaves
Salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
balsalmic vinegar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine Parmesan, paprika, and freshly ground black pepper.

On a parchment lined cookie sheet (or Silpat!), add the Parmesan mixture in 2 tablespoon dots, 2 inches apart. Gently pat down into a flat disk.

Place in preheated oven and cook until cheese melts. (about 3 minutes)

Remove from oven and when cheese is cool enough to handle but still moldable, remove and form into small taco type shells.

In a small saute pan cook pancetta until crispy, remove and let cool. When cool, crumble with your hands.

In a small bowl add tomatoes, basil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil, and toss gently to combine. (A splash of balsalmic vinegar is a GREAT addition)

Add tomato mixture to Parmesan crisps and top with pancetta.

Molten Lava Cakes

Got this from Paula Deen and altered it just a little bit. I had to make 8 servings, so it was a bit tricky to scale it... The recipe below serves 6.

Ingredients
6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli)
2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli)
10 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange liqueur (I used Kahlua instead)
shortening
granulated sugar

Directions
(* I made these early in the day and put them in the fridge. Be sure to take them out an hour before baking if they are in the fridge.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups (I used the Pampered Chef little prep bowls) with shortening and coat well with granulated sugar.

Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. (Cover and put into refrigertor at this point, if you are making them ahead.)

Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. (Since mine were still a little cool from the frig, I baked 17 minutes, but could probably have gone even longer.) The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates. Use knife to help lift up the cup and release the cake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Perfect Dinner Party Menu

So last night we hosted a dinner party for Doug's partners and spouses. I have been planning to throw a dinner party whenever they finally went full time with Chrisso. So, basically I've been planning this party for over a year...

It was everything I'd dreamed of. :) Doug went to a local butcher to get some *really* good steaks and we researched quite a bit on how to cook the perfect indoor steak. See my notes on the steak and couscous recipe for details.

Here's the menu:
* Parmesan Crisps with Pancetta and Roma Tomato Salsa
* Bruschetta (used extra tomato salsa from above recipe on toasted baguette)
* Steak with Spinach Couscous
* Homemade rolls with cinnamon butter (Tracy brought these - yum!)
* Molten Lava Cakes
* Lots of great wine! (and sparkling grape juice)
- Villa Antinori Toscana 2005
- the Little Penguin Pinot Noir 2008
- Aquila D'Oro Chianti 2008
- Brown County Winery Blackberry Wine (the BEST dessert wine ever)

Blueberry Crumb Bars

I make these with a 16 oz. bag of frozen blueberries instead of the fresh and it turns out just fine. I usually thaw the unopened bag by putting it in a bowl of hot water and then drain out the juice. This could be dessert with ice cream or as a breakfast treat! (Taken from allrecipes.)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and cinnamon, if desired. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the shortening and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Jo's Rosemary Bread

This tastes just like the bread at Macaroni Grill. Yummy!

Ingredients
1 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions
Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start. When finished, shape into round or oval shape and place on greased pan to rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

I tried out Money Saving Mom's Bread Machine Cinnamon Roll recipe for Valentines Day and boy was it a hit!

Here is her recipe:

Dough:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups flour (Add a bit more if dough seems too wet after first few minutes of kneading in the bread machine.)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling:
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Icing:
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons (or less) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, roll the dough into a large rectangle* and spread it with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon. *(I split this in half and rolled two rectangles to make it more manageable)

Roll up and cut into 10-15 rolls* and place in two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven. *(These looked little and sparse to have 5-6 in a pan, but man did they rise and plump up!)

You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning.

30 Minute Pizza Dough

I got this recipe from MoneySavingMom.com and have used it countless times. You can have a pizza ready-to-eat in 30 minutes or less and the crust is GOOD. I've also used this crust for breadsticks and calzones with great results.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups flour
Tomato Sauce, cheese and toppings

DIRECTIONS:
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the rest of the ingredients in and mix.

Dump onto a floured surface .

Knead into a smooth dough (five minutes or so).

Roll out and press down onto a greased pizza pan.

Add toppings.

Bake at 450 degrees F. for around 12-15 minutes until the crust looks crispy and lightly browned.

90 Minute Rolls

This recipe is on the Internet in many forms. The following is how I make them. It is NO FAIL and delicious.

INGREDIENTS:
2 - 2.5 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix 3/4 cup flour, sugar, salt and undissolved yeast in Kitchen Aid mixer bowl with paddle attachment.

2. Heat milk, water and margarine to 120 F. - 130 F. (hot, but not unbearable)

3. Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed of mixer.

4. Add 1/4 cup flour. Beat at high speed 2 minutes.

5. Switch to dough hook attachment and add in just enough additional flour to make soft dough. Knead with dough hook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add in flour bit by bit so that it doesn't stick too much to sides of bowl.

6. Turn oven on just enough to kick on the heat.

7. On a well-floured surface, divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Shape into balls. Place in greased 8-inch round pan.

8. Cover rolls with clean towel. Turn off oven (should be warm) and close door; let rise 30 minutes.

10. Uncover rolls.

11. Turn oven to 375 F. Bake 20 minutes or until done. Remove from pan to cool. Serve warm.

Yield: 8 dinner rolls

Potato, Broccoli and Cheese Soup

I made this soup during my Eat from the Pantry challenge, in an effort to use up some frozen broccoli and potatoes that I had on hand. It was really quite good and I will definitely make it again. I think it would freeze well. (Taken from allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 pounds peeled and cubed potatoes
5 cups boiling water + 4 cubes chicken bouillon OR 4 cups chicken stock
1 lb frozen broccoli (cooked and drained) * 1 pound fresh broccoli = 2 heads
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:
In a large stock pot saute onion in butter. Add potatoes, water and bouillon cubes/stock. Cover, bring to boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove tough outer skin of broccoli stems and cook broccoli (or nuke frozen broccoli). Once cooked add to soup.

In a blender or food processor puree half of the soup and return to stock pot. Season with salt and pepper.

Add cheese and heat soup through until cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Serves: 6

Steak with Spinach Couscous

Steak with Spinach Couscous

3 T. olive oil

1.5 lbs. steak (I used strip, but you can use flank or ribeye or whatever)

Kosher salt & pepper

1 - 10 ounce box of couscous

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 c. pine nuts

2-4 cups of baby spinach (I'm using 4 cups next time because I love spinach and kept adding more to the mixture)

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1/2 - 1 t. lemon zest (optional - I'm going to add this next time)

Heat 1 T of olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Season the steak with 1/2 t. each salt and pepper. Cook to desired doneness, 4-6 minutes per side. Let rest before slicing.

Cook the couscous according the package directions; transfer to a large bowl (*Note: I can only find couscous that comes with the season packets and went ahead added the season packet to the couscous with good results.)

Wipe out the skillet. Cook the remaining 2 T. olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts over medium heat, string until golden, 2-3 minutes. Fold into the couscous with the spinach, Feta, lemon juice, and 1/2 t each of salt and pepper (or salt and pepper to taste).

Slice steak and serve with couscous.

Cranberry Salad and Topping

Marcia and I worked over Thanksgiving and Christmas to replicate Grandma C's cranberry salad recipe. We got pretty close! Then my Mom made this one and, while different, it is also VERY yummy.

Ingredients
1 (6 ounce) package raspberry flavored gelatin mix
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup chopped celery (optional)
1 cup chopped apple (optional)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 teaspoon orange zest

1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Place the gelatin into a bowl, pour in the boiling water, and stir until the gelatin dissolves. Mix in the cranberry sauce, pineapple, celery, apple, pecans, and orange zest until evenly blended. Pour the gelatin mixture into a mold or serving dish.

Chill in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 8 hours.

To make the topping, beat the cream cheese then add the remaining ingredients until well blended. Unmold the gelatin, and spread with the topping mixture or place the topping in a small cup in the center of the mold.

Bagels

Yup, I did it! I made bagels. I used my KAF All-Purpose Baking Cookbookfor the recipe and took a lot of photos to document the process. The result? Appearance needs some work and taste was good, but more like a sourdough than Einstein's.


Dough Ingredients
1 tbsp instant yeast
4 cups unbleached bread flour
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp non-diastatic malt powder
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water



Water Bath Ingredients
2 quarts water
2 tbsp non-diastatic malt powder
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Directions:
Combine all the dough ingredients in a mixing bowl

and knead vigorously on medium-low speed for 10 minutes.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and set it aside to rise until noticeably puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.



Transfer the dough to a work surface


and divide it into eight pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll it into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes.

They'll puff up very slightly.

While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water, malt powder, and sugar to a very gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter pan. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Poke a hold through the center of each ball then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole until it's about 2 inches in diameter. Place each bagel on a lightly greased or parchment-lined (or Silpat, WooHoo!!!) baking sheet and repeat with remaining pieces of dough.

Transfer the bagels, four at a time if possible, to the simmering water. Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gentle simmering boil, if necessary. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, gently flip them over , and cook 1 minute more.

Using a skimmer or strainer, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.

Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're as deep a brown as you like, turning them over after about 15 minutes, which will help them remain tall and round (which mine didn't...).

Remove the bagels from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.


Final Result:

Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is good any time of the year! You can make it with fat free ingredients and still tastes great

8 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
3. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Asian Orange Chicken

An authentic orange chicken recipe - and it freezes, too!

INGREDIENTS:
Sauce:
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

3. In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.

5. Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce.

*** To freezer, stop here. Cool sauce and chicken and freeze in separate ziplock bags. Then thaw and follow remaining step:

6. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over white rice.

Serves: 4

Burgandy Beef Tips

Another Homemade Gourmet recipe, substituting dry onion soup mix for the seasoning mix.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet® Grandmothers Sunday Roast Seasoning Mix or dry onion soup mix
2 pounds stew meat, cubed
1 10.75-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 4-ounce can of sliced mushrooms, undrained
1/2 cup red cooking wine or water
1 12-ounce package egg noodles

Directions:
1. In slow cooker, combine all ingredients except for egg noodles and cook on low for 8 hours.

2. Prepare egg noodles according to package directions.

3. Serve beef tips over hot noodles.

For a Freezer recipe, combine everything except egg noodles in gallon sized freezer bag and SMOOSH all ingredients until blended. Label Burgundy Beef Tips and freeze until needed.

Servings: 6

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

I have seen a lot of websites where folks use Homemade Gourmet mixes to make freezer meals (especially the 4 Meals in 4 Minutes recipes). They sound delicious, but I can't bring myself to pay the gourmet price for the mixes. So I've found some substitutes for the mixes and have been experimenting with them. This recipe was a hit. Especially on a cold winter's night.

Ingredients
1 10.75-ounce can cream of chicken soup
2 soup cans of water
3 tablespoons Homemade Gourmet Grandmother's Sunday Roast Seasoning
OR 1 packet of dry onion soup mix OR 3 tablespoons of homemade dry onion soup mix
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips (may also use chicken tenderloins)
1-1/2 cups biscuit mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk

Directions
1. In a slow cooker, combine soup, water and seasoning. Stir and then add chicken. Cook on low for 4 hours.

2. To make the dumplings, combine biscuit mix, cheese and milk. You can make this at the time you use them or you can make them right after filling the slow cooker. Then put the dough into the fridge so they are ready to spoon into the slow cooker when the time comes.
To 'form' the dumplings, scoop out 1/2 teaspoon portions directly into the slow cooker during the last 1/2 hour of cooking time.

3. Cook for 30 minutes without stirring. Serve immediately.

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:
Place soup, water, seasoning and chicken into a gallon freezer bag. Smoosh to combine, label with name, date and cooking instructions and freeze flat in your freezer. To add the dumplings to your frozen kit, drop your 1/2 teaspoon portions onto a baking sheet. Cover and freeze for about 3 hours. Remove the frozen dumplings from the baking sheet and put them into a small freezer bag. Attach this bag to the outside of the bag with the chicken and add the instruction to put these frozen dumplings directly on top of the chicken during the last hour of cooking time. (Notice...last hour instead of last 1/2 hour since they are frozen and need more time to cook.)

Serves: 6

Taco Skillet

Serving Size : 12
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 lb ground beef
3 medium onion, chopped
3 can (16 ounces) refried beans
3 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies (optional)
3/4 tsp garlic powder
2 1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 Tbs ground cumin
1/2 Tbs chili powder
3 small green pepper, chopped (optional)
3 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
3 bag tortilla chips
3 jar salsa

This is one of Chaz's new favorites (probably b/c we eat it with tortilla chips). We make the meat mixture ahead of time and freeze (we didn't include green pepper or chilies). To eat we heat up the meat mixture , put on top of chips with cheese. Then add some sour cream and salsa on the side. We use fat free refried beans, sour cream, etc so it isn't as fattening as it sounds. Great meal for watching football!

1. * In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is
no longer pink; drain. Stir in the beans, chilies and garlic powder; cook
until heated through.

2. * In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, cumin and chili powder; spread
over beef mixture. Sprinkle with
cheese. Serve with tortilla chips or taco shells, lettuce and salsa

Amazing Pot Roast

Serving Size : 6

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 lb Roast (I usually get what is on sale)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1/2 can water

For OAMC (I freeze roast until ready to use and then thaw, plop into slow cooker)
1. Place roast in slower cooker. Combine soup, soup mix and ½ can water.
Pour over roast. Lift roast to get some underneath. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.
Remove roast, slice it up. We make mashed potatoes to go with the leftover gravy.

Danish Pastry Apple Bars II

This is a double pastry apple pie type of recipe that I found on AllRecipes.com. The almond flavor of the glaze is wonderful with the apples and the cornflakes turned into a kind of chewy sweet goo. The recipe says it serves 36, but I think that's a bit much. Just however many you usually feed with a 9x13 pan dessert.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup cold water
1 cup cornflakes cereal
10 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a cup, beat egg yolk, stir the cold water into the yolk. Gradually stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until dough can be packed into a ball. On a clean dry surface, roll out 1/2 of the dough large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch pan. Lay the dough in the pan.
3. Place the cornflakes over the dough in the pan. Arrange apple slices over the top of the corn flake layer. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the apples. Roll out the second half of the dough to cover the entire pan. Lay over the filling and pinch the edges of the two crusts together. Beat the egg white until foamy, and brush onto the top crust.
4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Drizzle with glaze while still warm.
5. To make the glaze: In a small bowl, beat the confectioners' sugar with the milk and almond extract until smooth.