Just writing TURKEY makes me think of Adam Sandler.....I don't know why. Probably because I'm such a nerd! So in honor of goofy Thanksgiving songs, here are a few of the lyrics! HA!
Turkey for the girls and
Turkey for the boys
My favorite kind of pants
Are corduroys
Gobble gobble goo and
Gobble gobble gickel
I wish turkey
Only cost a nickel
Oh I love turkey on Thanksgiving
Makes me laugh EVERY time!! OK, lets get down to business. I have been making the turkey for Thanksgiving for the last few years. Even though my mom and dad are some serious gourmet foodies, they REALLY love this turkey!! I do a 24 hour brine, which is basically soaking your meat in a highly seasoned broth to get all the juices incorporated into the meat. Then I rub sage butter under the skin and bake it in a brown paper bag! Just don't forget to spray your bag with Pam so it doesn't catch on fire :)
Turkey Brine
1 gallon vegetable broth (16 cups)
1 cup sea salt
1 Tbsp crushed dried rosemary
1 Tbsp dried sage
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp dried summer savory
1 gallon ice water
In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in the ice water.
Rinse and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator overnight.
Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard excess brine.
Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge.
**You might not have Summer Savory in your pantry but it is well worth it to grab some at the store!! You might also see Winter Savory, but use Summer if you can find it!!
Sage Butter
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped, fresh sage
salt and pepper
Make sure your butter has been sitting out and is very soft. Combine with sage and a pinch of salt and pepper.
To prepare your turkey:
Make sure you pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper. Truss the turkey (instructions below). Rub the sage butter under the skin of the turkey carefully! You don't want to pierce the skin if you can help it! Then rub olive oil on skin and liberally salt and pepper! Place the turkey inside of a brown paper bag sprayed with Pam. Secure the ends of the bag with staples to keep closed and place in your roasting pan.
Bake your turkey about 15 minutes per pound. The meaty part of the thigh should be at 170 degrees. I use a 325 degree oven. Pull your turkey out of the oven when it is done. Keeping it in a warm oven will dry it out! NO DRY TURKEY!!!
How to truss a turkey:
Use kitchen string to tie the turkey's legs together, pressing the legs close to the turkey body.
Turn the turkey over and fold its wings back behind it.
Tie another piece of string around the turkey's neck skin, leaving two long ends hanging.
Pass each string end through a wing.
Tie the string ends together, pinning the turkey wings horizontally.
Good luck and I hope everyone has a TRULY WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thanksgiving Round 2
Try to contain yourself....I actually am writing a blog post when i said I was going to. Shocking, I know!!! But in honor of my favorite food holiday, I couldn't go without posting!
I am sharing my two favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. I actually have three, but the 3rd is Green Bean Casserole. And I'm not retyping that whole recipe because it is clearly posted on the side of the French's French Fried Onion can, so you can go find that one at HEB :)
The 1st recipe is my mom's Sweet Potato Casserole. This is for all my peeps who don't want smushy, overly sweet, marshmallows ruining a perfectly good sweet potato! The other is my dad's Corn Bread Dressing. It is SO delicious with butter, pecanns, bacon, and all sorts of other goodness mixed in!
Sweet Potato Casserole
1 large can sweet potatoes
3/4 stick butter
2 eggs
Dash cinnamon & nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup Carnation evaporated milk
Topping:
1 cup crushed Frosted Flakes
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 stick butter
Warm potatoes and drain liquid.
Cream sugar, butter and eggs together. Add spices, milk and vanilla.
Mash potatoes and mix. Add topping and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min – 1 hour.
Toasted Cornbread Stuffing
6 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread
3/4 cup pecans
1/4 lb bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
2 Tbsp sage
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 Tbsp bourbon
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley
Heat oven to 350F. Spread crumbled cornbread onto a baking sheet. Coarsely chop pecans and add to cornbread. Toast in oven for 25-30 minutes or until cornbread is golden, tossing the crumbs once or twice during toasting. Cool and place in a large mixing bowl.
Cook bacon over medium-high heat in a saute pan of skillet. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to bowl with cornbread and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of drippings (YUM). Add butter and olive oil to skillet and when butter has melted add onion and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add celery and saute another three minutes.
Stir in thyme, sage, salt and pepper to taste. Add to cornbread.
Turn up heat under saute pan and add bourbon. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add chicken stock, cook for 1 minute, and add mixture to bowl. Add parsley to bowl and adjust seasonings.
ENJOY!! Tomorrow I'll add recipes for the brine and last but not least....THE TURKEY!!!!
I am sharing my two favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. I actually have three, but the 3rd is Green Bean Casserole. And I'm not retyping that whole recipe because it is clearly posted on the side of the French's French Fried Onion can, so you can go find that one at HEB :)
The 1st recipe is my mom's Sweet Potato Casserole. This is for all my peeps who don't want smushy, overly sweet, marshmallows ruining a perfectly good sweet potato! The other is my dad's Corn Bread Dressing. It is SO delicious with butter, pecanns, bacon, and all sorts of other goodness mixed in!
Sweet Potato Casserole
1 large can sweet potatoes
3/4 stick butter
2 eggs
Dash cinnamon & nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup Carnation evaporated milk
Topping:
1 cup crushed Frosted Flakes
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 stick butter
Warm potatoes and drain liquid.
Cream sugar, butter and eggs together. Add spices, milk and vanilla.
Mash potatoes and mix. Add topping and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min – 1 hour.
Toasted Cornbread Stuffing
6 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread
3/4 cup pecans
1/4 lb bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
2 Tbsp sage
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 Tbsp bourbon
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley
Heat oven to 350F. Spread crumbled cornbread onto a baking sheet. Coarsely chop pecans and add to cornbread. Toast in oven for 25-30 minutes or until cornbread is golden, tossing the crumbs once or twice during toasting. Cool and place in a large mixing bowl.
Cook bacon over medium-high heat in a saute pan of skillet. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to bowl with cornbread and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of drippings (YUM). Add butter and olive oil to skillet and when butter has melted add onion and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add celery and saute another three minutes.
Stir in thyme, sage, salt and pepper to taste. Add to cornbread.
Turn up heat under saute pan and add bourbon. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add chicken stock, cook for 1 minute, and add mixture to bowl. Add parsley to bowl and adjust seasonings.
ENJOY!! Tomorrow I'll add recipes for the brine and last but not least....THE TURKEY!!!!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thanksgiving!!
OK....clearly I can not be trusted. I keep promising to update the blog regularly, and quite obviously I have not been doing that!! BUT....Thanksgiving is, in my opinion, the BEST food day of the year. There is no way I could forgive myself if I didn't put up some recipes in honor of my fav food holiday!!
So, I'm starting with pie. Thanksgiving is one of the few times a year I eat pie, although I make it alot!! And please, please, please do not buy a pie at the grocery store! For the love, save your friends and family from the horror of pie made at way ahead of time and sitting around near the produce department. I know there are some people in most of our families that we aren't SUPER fond of, but you don't want to give those folks any reason to talk bad about you, right??
I'm putting up my fav pie and crust recipes!! You can make your crust ahead of time and freeze it to make life a little easier, although it is a SUPER simple to make! So here goes! I'll try (I give up on promising!) to put up some side dishes and finally the turkey recipe later this week!!! Gobble, gobble!! (That always makes me think of Adam Sandler.....let's eat turkey in my big brown shoe) :)
Pie Crust
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water
Mix shortening, flour, and salt together with a fork or a pastry blender until very crumbly. Add as much water as needed to hold together, and mix lightly with a fork. To double this recipe, use 1 cup shortening, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup cold water.
Roll gently, one crust at a time, on a floured surface, to about an inch larger than pie plate. Fold carefully in half. Lift to pie plate, and unfold. Fit into pan. For a single-crust pie, trim with a small knife to about 1/2 inch beyond rim. Fold up, and pinch so edge of pie is raised from rim. For a two-crust pie, trim bottom crust to edge of rim, fill, and top with crust about 1/2 inch larger than rim. Tuck top crust under bottom along rim. Seal with floured fork.
***Don't worry about it looking PERFECT! I like it when it looks homemade. :) Everyone will appreciate all your hard work that way!!
Classic Pumpkin Pie
Pie Crust
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Pinch of salt
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to a 13-inch round a scant 1/4 inch thick. Fit the dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate and trim the overhang to 3/4 inch. Fold the dough under itself and crimp decoratively; refrigerate the pie shell for 10 minutes.
Line the pie shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the center of the oven until nearly set, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the crust is pale golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves and salt until smooth. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, then the cream. Working near the oven, pour the filling into the crust. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the custard is set. Let the pie cool on a rack.
Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly and 1/2 of the sugar and butter syrup. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the other 1/2 syrup over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.
**Tips: For preparing the apples...I use my veggie peeler for the skin. I also cut the apple in half and use the melon baller to remove the core. Works perfectly! Also, soak your apples slices in Sprite to keep them from browning. To make a lattice crust, I roll my dough out into a circle. I use my pizza cutter to cut the lattice strips then starting on one side weave them together! It is a little labor intensive but you end up with a BEAUTIFUL pie! If you don't feel like messing with it just cover it with a whole crust and cut a slice in the top to let steam escape!!
OK....so this last pie is NOT really Thanksgiving-y, but it is SO STINKIN DELICIOUS I just couldn't leave it off!!! This is for all my down home folks!!!
Banana Pudding Pie
Crust:
50 vanilla wafers
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/8 tsp sea salt
5 Tbsp melted unsalted butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
3 egg yolks
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp powdered gelatin
1/4 cup cold milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, pod and scraped seeds
1 1/2 tsp unsalted butter
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh whipped cream
5 Tbsp caramel sauce, plus extra for garnish
3 medium bananas, sliced
For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crush vanilla wafers and toss with brown sugar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and sea salt. Stir in melted butter and vanilla extract and press mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
For the filling: Chill a medium bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice water and set aside. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and sea salt together until very thick and light in color. Set aside. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Bring heavy cream, remaining 3/4 cup milk, and vanilla bean to a boil in a medium pot. Remove from heat, slowly whisk cream mixture into reserved egg mixture, pour back into pot, and stir over medium-low heat until it reaches a boil. Pour into chilled bowl, remove vanilla bean pod, and stir in gelatin mixture, butter, and vanilla extract. Let cool and fold in whipped cream.
Spread caramel sauce over crust. Line with 2 1/2 bananas and top with pudding. Chill for 2 hours. Decorate with remaining banana slices and caramel.
And by popular demand....LAURA :) Sorry it took so long!!
Creamy Blueberry Pie
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
Combine 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and salt. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla stirring until blended.
Place blueberries in pastry shell, and spoon sour cream mixture over berries.
In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Cut in butter or margarine with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles course meal. Sprinkle this mixture over sour cream mixture and berries in the pie shell.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 55 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Enjoy!!
So, I'm starting with pie. Thanksgiving is one of the few times a year I eat pie, although I make it alot!! And please, please, please do not buy a pie at the grocery store! For the love, save your friends and family from the horror of pie made at way ahead of time and sitting around near the produce department. I know there are some people in most of our families that we aren't SUPER fond of, but you don't want to give those folks any reason to talk bad about you, right??
I'm putting up my fav pie and crust recipes!! You can make your crust ahead of time and freeze it to make life a little easier, although it is a SUPER simple to make! So here goes! I'll try (I give up on promising!) to put up some side dishes and finally the turkey recipe later this week!!! Gobble, gobble!! (That always makes me think of Adam Sandler.....let's eat turkey in my big brown shoe) :)
Pie Crust
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water
Mix shortening, flour, and salt together with a fork or a pastry blender until very crumbly. Add as much water as needed to hold together, and mix lightly with a fork. To double this recipe, use 1 cup shortening, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup cold water.
Roll gently, one crust at a time, on a floured surface, to about an inch larger than pie plate. Fold carefully in half. Lift to pie plate, and unfold. Fit into pan. For a single-crust pie, trim with a small knife to about 1/2 inch beyond rim. Fold up, and pinch so edge of pie is raised from rim. For a two-crust pie, trim bottom crust to edge of rim, fill, and top with crust about 1/2 inch larger than rim. Tuck top crust under bottom along rim. Seal with floured fork.
***Don't worry about it looking PERFECT! I like it when it looks homemade. :) Everyone will appreciate all your hard work that way!!
Classic Pumpkin Pie
Pie Crust
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Pinch of salt
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to a 13-inch round a scant 1/4 inch thick. Fit the dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate and trim the overhang to 3/4 inch. Fold the dough under itself and crimp decoratively; refrigerate the pie shell for 10 minutes.
Line the pie shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the center of the oven until nearly set, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the crust is pale golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves and salt until smooth. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, then the cream. Working near the oven, pour the filling into the crust. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the custard is set. Let the pie cool on a rack.
Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly and 1/2 of the sugar and butter syrup. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the other 1/2 syrup over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.
**Tips: For preparing the apples...I use my veggie peeler for the skin. I also cut the apple in half and use the melon baller to remove the core. Works perfectly! Also, soak your apples slices in Sprite to keep them from browning. To make a lattice crust, I roll my dough out into a circle. I use my pizza cutter to cut the lattice strips then starting on one side weave them together! It is a little labor intensive but you end up with a BEAUTIFUL pie! If you don't feel like messing with it just cover it with a whole crust and cut a slice in the top to let steam escape!!
OK....so this last pie is NOT really Thanksgiving-y, but it is SO STINKIN DELICIOUS I just couldn't leave it off!!! This is for all my down home folks!!!
Banana Pudding Pie
Crust:
50 vanilla wafers
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/8 tsp sea salt
5 Tbsp melted unsalted butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
3 egg yolks
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp powdered gelatin
1/4 cup cold milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, pod and scraped seeds
1 1/2 tsp unsalted butter
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh whipped cream
5 Tbsp caramel sauce, plus extra for garnish
3 medium bananas, sliced
For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crush vanilla wafers and toss with brown sugar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and sea salt. Stir in melted butter and vanilla extract and press mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
For the filling: Chill a medium bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice water and set aside. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and sea salt together until very thick and light in color. Set aside. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Bring heavy cream, remaining 3/4 cup milk, and vanilla bean to a boil in a medium pot. Remove from heat, slowly whisk cream mixture into reserved egg mixture, pour back into pot, and stir over medium-low heat until it reaches a boil. Pour into chilled bowl, remove vanilla bean pod, and stir in gelatin mixture, butter, and vanilla extract. Let cool and fold in whipped cream.
Spread caramel sauce over crust. Line with 2 1/2 bananas and top with pudding. Chill for 2 hours. Decorate with remaining banana slices and caramel.
And by popular demand....LAURA :) Sorry it took so long!!
Creamy Blueberry Pie
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
Combine 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and salt. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla stirring until blended.
Place blueberries in pastry shell, and spoon sour cream mixture over berries.
In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Cut in butter or margarine with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles course meal. Sprinkle this mixture over sour cream mixture and berries in the pie shell.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 55 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Enjoy!!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Down Home Cookin!!
So I'm going with a theme this week...down home cooking! I get caught in a few ruts with cooking. I either get stuck on a few easy favorites that I know everyone will eat. I tend to do this when I am stressed so I don't really have to think about what to fix. The other thing I seem to want to do is try a new recipe every night! I can get too fancy for my own good. It is a great way to add new favorites, but I also run into some dinners that should not EVER be repeated EVER AGAIN :)
I was thinking about what to fix for the upcoming week and decided I needed some comfort food STAT! Here are a few fabulous down home dinners. I'll also do some breakfast dishes, side dishes and desserts throughout the week, so keep checking back!!
One thing my Papa did was make the most fantastic meatloaf you've ever had. He's from the Deep South....Union Hill, Alabama!! His secret for meatloaf was to do half ground beef and half ground sausage. This keeps your meatloaf from drying out....the curse of bad meatloaf!!! To make mine a little more figure friendly I use 96% lean ground beef and light ground sausage. You can get away with the lean ground beef because the sausage adds so much moisture!! Last tip is to cook your onion before adding. It gets rid of the super strong onion flavor and also makes it nice and soft. Feel free to add carrots or other veggies (also cooked) if you'd like!!
Here is my Papa's recipe and another I like to make. Enjoy!!
Papa's Meatloaf
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 lb ground sausage
1 egg
1 can Meatloaf fixings (I was skeptical about fiding this, but sure enough it's over by the canned tomatoes)
a few dashes of Worchestershire
1 onion, finely chopped and sauteed
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients, form into loaf and cook on broiler pan for 1 hour.
I like to use a free form loaf on a broiler pan rather than shoving it into a loaf pan. Line bottom of the pan with foil for quicker cleanup. Spray the top with cooking spray. The fat will drain through the slats and you'll come out with a fabulous meatloaf!!
Barbecue Meat Loaf
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped and sauteed
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients including 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce (reserve 1/3 cup barbecue sauce). Form into loaf on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Don't forget to line the bottom of the pan for WAY easier cleanup!!
Top meatloaf with remaining 1/3 cup barbecue sauce. Cook for 1 hour.
**Meatloaf should be around 160 degrees when done! Let meat stand for about 10 minutes before you cut it. You will lose alot of the juice if you cut it too quickly!!
I was thinking about what to fix for the upcoming week and decided I needed some comfort food STAT! Here are a few fabulous down home dinners. I'll also do some breakfast dishes, side dishes and desserts throughout the week, so keep checking back!!
One thing my Papa did was make the most fantastic meatloaf you've ever had. He's from the Deep South....Union Hill, Alabama!! His secret for meatloaf was to do half ground beef and half ground sausage. This keeps your meatloaf from drying out....the curse of bad meatloaf!!! To make mine a little more figure friendly I use 96% lean ground beef and light ground sausage. You can get away with the lean ground beef because the sausage adds so much moisture!! Last tip is to cook your onion before adding. It gets rid of the super strong onion flavor and also makes it nice and soft. Feel free to add carrots or other veggies (also cooked) if you'd like!!
Here is my Papa's recipe and another I like to make. Enjoy!!
Papa's Meatloaf
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 lb ground sausage
1 egg
1 can Meatloaf fixings (I was skeptical about fiding this, but sure enough it's over by the canned tomatoes)
a few dashes of Worchestershire
1 onion, finely chopped and sauteed
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients, form into loaf and cook on broiler pan for 1 hour.
I like to use a free form loaf on a broiler pan rather than shoving it into a loaf pan. Line bottom of the pan with foil for quicker cleanup. Spray the top with cooking spray. The fat will drain through the slats and you'll come out with a fabulous meatloaf!!
Barbecue Meat Loaf
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped and sauteed
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients including 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce (reserve 1/3 cup barbecue sauce). Form into loaf on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Don't forget to line the bottom of the pan for WAY easier cleanup!!
Top meatloaf with remaining 1/3 cup barbecue sauce. Cook for 1 hour.
**Meatloaf should be around 160 degrees when done! Let meat stand for about 10 minutes before you cut it. You will lose alot of the juice if you cut it too quickly!!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Quiche
Alright friends....it's time to SLAP THIS BLOG TOGETHER! I promise, now that school has started, to make a better effort to post AT LEAST once a week! (See how well that went with my last post???) :)
So, I have found myself making my Crustless Spinach Quiche a ton lately!! First for a baby shower, then for my family since I had all the fixins on hand. I also got a great tip from my good friend (and fellow heart momma) Melissa. She used to make a quiche, cut it up into individual portions, wrap each piece and freeze. That way every work morning she could grab a piece and run! What a fabulous idea!!! So....in my effort to avoid refined carbs lately and eat a more fruit/veggie intensive diet, I have been eating A LOT of quiche :)
Alright...for the recipe. I LOVE this because you can basically do it up a million different ways! Use what you have on hand, prepare the night before if you have company, and pop in the oven in the morning. VIOLA....instant delicious breakfast. What more could a girl ask for?? OK, probably a lot of things, but work with me here!!
Here is the original recipe! Feel free to add or exchange any veggies/protien you want to. It is simple and delicious!!
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 pound light ground sausage
1/2 red onion, diced
1 pint mushrooms, sliced
10 oz package spinach, thawed (excess moisture squeezed out)
3 cups shredded muenster cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pie plate with Pam.
In a large bowl, beat all eggs. Brown sausage in a pan, remove and drain. Saute onion and mushroom in same pan as sausage. Once browned, add spinach and saute until all moisture is evaporated.
Mix together eggs, sausage, onion/spinach/mushroom mixture and shredded cheese. Place in pie pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until browned and set.
Note: I only use about 1 cup of cheese to cut down on the fat content. It is still delicious! I also love to add red or orange bell pepper that I saute in with the onions and mushrooms. YUMMY! Another way to change it up would be to try a different protien. Chopped ham or canadian bacon is delicious!
When I freeze individual portions, I like to wrap each serving in saran wrap. Then I wrap 4 pieces up into a foil packet. Remove individual servings and you should never have any freezer burn!!
Hope you enjoy it!
So, I have found myself making my Crustless Spinach Quiche a ton lately!! First for a baby shower, then for my family since I had all the fixins on hand. I also got a great tip from my good friend (and fellow heart momma) Melissa. She used to make a quiche, cut it up into individual portions, wrap each piece and freeze. That way every work morning she could grab a piece and run! What a fabulous idea!!! So....in my effort to avoid refined carbs lately and eat a more fruit/veggie intensive diet, I have been eating A LOT of quiche :)
Alright...for the recipe. I LOVE this because you can basically do it up a million different ways! Use what you have on hand, prepare the night before if you have company, and pop in the oven in the morning. VIOLA....instant delicious breakfast. What more could a girl ask for?? OK, probably a lot of things, but work with me here!!
Here is the original recipe! Feel free to add or exchange any veggies/protien you want to. It is simple and delicious!!
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 pound light ground sausage
1/2 red onion, diced
1 pint mushrooms, sliced
10 oz package spinach, thawed (excess moisture squeezed out)
3 cups shredded muenster cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pie plate with Pam.
In a large bowl, beat all eggs. Brown sausage in a pan, remove and drain. Saute onion and mushroom in same pan as sausage. Once browned, add spinach and saute until all moisture is evaporated.
Mix together eggs, sausage, onion/spinach/mushroom mixture and shredded cheese. Place in pie pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until browned and set.
Note: I only use about 1 cup of cheese to cut down on the fat content. It is still delicious! I also love to add red or orange bell pepper that I saute in with the onions and mushrooms. YUMMY! Another way to change it up would be to try a different protien. Chopped ham or canadian bacon is delicious!
When I freeze individual portions, I like to wrap each serving in saran wrap. Then I wrap 4 pieces up into a foil packet. Remove individual servings and you should never have any freezer burn!!
Hope you enjoy it!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sour Cream Pork Chops
I know, I know....about time I finally put a recipe up!! It's been a crazy summer. I promise to get better about posting more reliably. I have been putting together recipes to share, but decided today I'd start with what I fixed for dinner tonight. It's a throw-down meal I go to when I don't have the time (or groceries) for something fancy!
Sour cream pork chops are a delicious pan seared pork chop that simmers all day in a crock pot and is then topped with a creamy sour cream gravy! YUMMY!! One thing I do like to do is serve this meal with a veggie and use some of the extra gravy over the top. Tonight we're doing frozen peas, but I think broccoli would be super yummy with it as well!
Here are a few tips I use to make the dish great every time!! I don't dredge the pork chops in flour. You are welcome to, but it doesn't seem to add too much to the dish. Also, don't overcook the chops in the pan. Just have your pan SUPER hot (shimmering oil) and do a quick sear on each side to brown, then straight into the slow cooker! One last thing...if you don't have chicken bullion cubes at home just substitute chicken broth for the boiling water & buillion cubes!
I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients:
6 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (if desired)
1 large onion, sliced 1/4 in thick (if desired)
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
Directions:
1. Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then dredge in 1/2 cup flour. In a skillet over medium heat, lightly brown chops in a small amount of oil.
2. Place chops in slow cooker, and top with onion slices. Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water and pour over chops. Cover, and cook on Low 7 to 8 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F
4. After the chops have cooked, transfer chops to the oven to keep warm. Be careful, the chops are so tender they will fall apart. In a small bowl, blend 2 tablespoons flour with the sour cream; mix into meat juices. Turn slow cooker to High for 15 to 30 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve sauce over pork chops.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Slap it together??
So, I have been thinking about starting a blog about what I cook for my family. Everyone always seems to be asking what I'm cooking! I thought this would be an easy, fun way to post recipes, give tips, and help my friends avoid making some of the recipes I've tried that have totally bombed! I have a feeling some of you are going to be suprised (and not in a good way) that I'm not an Iron Chef every night!! Some nights we just have Zatarain's jambalaya with turkey sausage. You just have to slap it together sometimes!!
I bet you're also wondering how "slap it together" came about. I made a very innocent post on Facebook about how I had managed to slap together a yummy, healthy dinner one night. Hilarity ensued. Somehow, I have surrounded myself with hilarious, sarcastic, fantastic women who crack me up all the time. With all the comments that followed, my slapped together dinner became the next Food Network show called "Slap It Together with Emily". My signature move would be to stand on a chair and slap my behind while introducing my obviously classy new show. HA!
Hope you like the recipes...please comment and add anything great you've tried lately. I'm ALWAYS up for a good new recipe!!!
I bet you're also wondering how "slap it together" came about. I made a very innocent post on Facebook about how I had managed to slap together a yummy, healthy dinner one night. Hilarity ensued. Somehow, I have surrounded myself with hilarious, sarcastic, fantastic women who crack me up all the time. With all the comments that followed, my slapped together dinner became the next Food Network show called "Slap It Together with Emily". My signature move would be to stand on a chair and slap my behind while introducing my obviously classy new show. HA!
Hope you like the recipes...please comment and add anything great you've tried lately. I'm ALWAYS up for a good new recipe!!!
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