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Un-Stuffed Peppers

18 Jan

I really enjoy Stuffed Peppers, but no one else in my house really likes them.  I think it’s the texture of the peppers after they are cooked that is the problem.  So, at today’s Market on the Move produce event, we got red bell peppers and cherry tomatoes.  Since the “Unstuffed” Cabbage Rolls went over well a while back, I decided that the same could be done for Stuffed Peppers, with a few modifications.  We all really enjoyed this, and I know I will make it again.  It really came together quickly too, which makes it nice for nights you don’t have a lot of time.  I don’t normally have cheese on my Stuffed Peppers, but it was a nice addition to this version tonight.

Un-Stuffed Peppers

Un-stuffed Peppers

What you need:

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used the Mexican blend shredded cheese)

How to make it:

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef.  Add onions and bell pepper, and cook until they have softened.  Stir in diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, basil, oregano, salt, and ground black pepper.  Turn heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in rice and tomato sauce, and continue to cook a few more minutes.  Turn off heat, and sprinkle cheese over the mixture in the skillet.

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Baklava Two Ways

2 Jan

I am surprised that I haven’t ever posted this recipe!  Most likely because I haven’t made it in a while.  I really enjoy baklava, but like Spanakopita and Tiropita, it’s somewhat time-consuming to make having to butter all the phyllo dough.  In the end, though, all the work is so worth it!  For New Year’s Day, my sister and I decided we wanted a Greek feast for dinner, and we spent 3 hours prepping tiropita, pastitsio, and dolmathes.  We had a roll of phyllo dough left, so we decided to make a dessert to take to my brother and sister-in-law’s house for dinner tonight.  I thought of baklava, but the nuts are pretty expensive to get already chopped.  So, then I thought about the Biscoff Cookie Truffles my sister had made last week, which were absolutely amazing, and thought that the Biscoff cookies and Biscoff spread would make a great filling instead of the traditional nut filling.  Turns out that I’m not the only to have the idea of Biscoff Baklava, but we made a few changes because I was worried that version would be way to sweet and over seasoned.  The Biscoff cookies and spread are already so flavorful on their own, they don’t need anything else, as evidenced by the truffles we’d just made.  It turned out amazing, and I will share how we made it and include the traditional baklava filling and the Biscoff filling.

IMG_20140102_182317_935

 

Baklava

What you need:

1 roll 9″ x 14″ phyllo dough (usually in your grocery’s freezer section)
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

Traditional baklava filling:
4 cups (1 lb) coarsely ground walnuts
2 cups (1/2 lb) coarsely ground almonds
4 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 Tbsp melted butter

Alternate Biscoff baklava filling:
1 8.8 oz package Biscoff cookies
1/2 of a 14 oz jar of Biscoff spread
4 oz cream cheese

Syrup:
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 c. water
2 c. sugar
1 cinnamon stick

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Traditional baklava filling:
Combine the ingredients for the filling.  Brush bottom and sides of 13″ X 9″ pan with melted butter. Lay phyllo dough in bottom of pan, generously brushing with butter.  Repeat this process, brushing each sheet of dough with butter, using half the dough in your roll. Pour filling over phyllo dough and spread evenly. Continue again with layers of phyllo dough, brushing each sheet of dough with butter, until you have used the remaining dough.

Alternate Biscoff filling:
Place Biscoff cookies in a large zipper bag and crush into fine pieces using a rolling pin.  In a small saucepan, heat Biscoff spread and cream cheese over low heat.  Stir continuously until mixed together and easier to spread.  Brush bottom and sides of 13″ X 9″ pan with melted butter. Lay phyllo dough in bottom of pan, generously brushing with butter.  Repeat this process, brushing each sheet of dough with butter, using half the dough in your roll. Carefully spread the Biscoff spread and cream cheese mixture over the phyllo dough.  Next, evenly pour the crushed Biscoff cookies over the spread.  Continue again with layers of phyllo dough, brushing each sheet of dough with butter, until you have used the remaining dough.

Score through top layers of the pastry with a sharp knife. Pour remaining butter over. Bake for 40 minutes on the bottom oven rack or until pastry is golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack and cool for 5 minutes.

Biscoff Baklava

I forgot to get a picture before we started serving it, but this gives you an idea of one way to make the cuts.

Combine all syrup ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until it reaches 225 F on a candy thermometer. Remove cinnamon stick and allow to cool.

Pour cooled syrup over hot pastry. Allow to stand for at least 3 hours or overnight. (Note: I like to put mine in the fridge overnight, then bring to room temperature before served.)

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Snowball Swirl Cookies Recipe

26 Dec

My sister usually has 1 or 2 new cookie recipes she finds each year, and this is one from this year.  She and my older daughter made these together.   They came together really easily, and have a short ingredient list, which is great for little hands and short attention spans!

Here is how they turned out for us:

Snowball Swirl Cookies

 

Note: I didn’t get this picture taken until after we’d had a few….or maybe a lot!  They were that good.  Reminded me of a shortbread cookie, with white chocolate chips and sprinkles added in.

Original post with recipe here: Snowball Swirl Cookies Recipe | In Katrina’s Kitchen.

What you need:

1 1/2 cups softened butter (3 sticks)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2-1 cup sprinkles in colors of your choice
How to make it:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Beat butter and sugar with mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add in vanilla, mix well. Add in salt and flour, a little at a time, mixing until well combined. Dough will be thick.
Fold in the chocolate chips and sprinkles.
Using a small cookie scoop, drop cookie dough onto cookie sheets, leaving about 2″ between each cookie.
Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until just starting to lightly brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for at least 10 minutes.
Store in airtight containers.

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Baked Cheeseburger Spinach Macaroni

26 Dec

I came up with this on a night that my older daughter wanted Spinach Bacon Shells and Cheese.  I didn’t have any bacon thawed, but I did have ground beef thawed, so I made the shells and the cheese sauce like in that recipe, and then seasoned ground beef like I did for the Bacon Cheeseburger Soup I made recently.  She and I were both happy with the results!

Baked Cheeseburger Spinach MacaroniBaked Cheeseburger Spinach Macaroni

What you need:

1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup diced red or yellow onion
1 cup beef broth
3 cups whole grain medium shells, uncooked
2 cups fresh spinach, slightly chopped
2 Tbsp. flour
1-2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, if needed
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
 
How to make it:
 
Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
 
In a large skillet, mix together ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, and pepper.  Brown meat over medium high heat.  Stir in diced onion, and cook until soft.  Pour in beef broth and reduce heat to low to simmer while you work on the other parts.
 
Cook shells as directed on package, adding spinach in to cook for the last minute.  Drain.  Return to pot.
 
In another large skillet, melt 1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine.  Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly; cook 3 to 5 minutes,  or until thickened.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and the Parmesan cheese; cook and stir until melted.
 
Pour ground beef mixture and cheese mixture over shells and spinach in the large pot; mix well.  Pour into a greased 2-1/2 qt casserole.  Top with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
 
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the cheese on top is melted.

 

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Leftover Turkey Dinner Ideas

3 Dec

After our big Thanksgiving day meal, we took a few days off from turkey.  So, last night and tonight I wanted to get through the leftover turkey.  Turkey Pot Pie and Turkey Noodle Soup.  Both turned out well!  And were rather easy to put together.

Turkey Pot PieTurkey Pot Pie

What you need:

1/4 cup butter
1 cup diced onion
2 cups cooked turkey, diced, shredded, or cubed
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups turkey or chicken broth
3/4 cup milk
2 cups frozen vegetable mix (I used a peas, carrots, green beans, and corn mix)
1 9 inch refrigerated pie crust

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until soft and translucent.  Add turkey.  Sprinkle in flour, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Stir constantly and cook for about 5 minutes.  Pour in broth and milk, continuing to stir to avoid lumps forming.  Stir in the frozen vegetables.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, and continue and continue to cook for about 5-10 minutes, until mixture thickens.

Pour mixture into a 2 quart round casserole dish.  Place the pie crust over the top of the mixture and press crust into the sides of the dish.  Cut vents in the crust.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until crust is golden and mixture is bubbly.  Let stand for 5-10 minutes to cool before serving.

 

Turkey Noodle SoupTurkey Noodle Soup

What you need:

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 cup diced onion
2 cups cook turkey, diced, shredded or cubed
8 cups turkey or chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 oz uncooked egg noodles
2 cups frozen vegetable mix (I used a peas, carrots, green beans, and corn mix)

How to make it:

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until soft and translucent.  Add turkey.  Pour in turkey or chicken broth.  Sprinkle in thyme, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer for 20 minutes.

Bring back to a boil.  Add noodles to the pot.  After 5 minutes, add frozen vegetables.  Continue to boil for another 5 minutes, or until noodles are soft and vegetables are heated through.

 

 

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Pecan Pie

1 Dec

Oh my.  I have never made a pecan pie before, and honestly, can’t even remember that last time I ate it.  I had some pecans in shell that I had been needing to use for a long time.  When my friend, Jen, commented on my Thanksgiving menu post that she was making a pecan pie, I decided it was finally time to use those pecans and make the pie.  She recommended this Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie recipe from Martha Stewart.  I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I improvised.  Here are the changes I made:

  • I used refrigerated pie dough.  I just unrolled and placed the dough in the pie pan, and didn’t have leftover scraps, so skipped making the leaves.  I also omitted the 2 egg yolks and heavy cream used to glaze the leaves.
  • I did not have dark corn syrup, so I used light corn syrup instead.  They can pretty much be used interchangeably, it’s just that the dark can sometimes enhance the flavor.  I think it turned out great with the light.  For more on light versus dark corn syrup, you can read more here.
  • I did not have maple syrup, but I did have apple butter syrup that I had gotten at Apple Annie’s, a local apple orchard.  This syrup is very delicious, we’ve used it on pancakes and waffles.  Plus, the flavors of apple and pecan go together well, so I figured it would work.  It definitely did!  The apple flavor is somewhat subtle, but the addition of a syrup greatly enhanced the flavor of this pie.

My husband and I loved this pie.  Getting all the pecans out of the shells was not real fun, but both my kids helped a little, so that made it not so bad.  I was able to keep some nice to lay out on top, then the broken ones when inside the pie.  It was maybe cooked a little too long since some pecans on top got a little over-browned.  But, they weren’t burnt, so they were still edible.  The inside of the pie was perfect.

Pecan Pie - fully baked Slice of the Pecan Pie

 

I would definitely make this pie again, just probably not soon because I ate so much of it!  Also, I would use pecans already out of shell….or there might not be any bourbon left when it’s time to put the pie ingredients all together!

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No-Can Green Bean Casserole

29 Nov

This was a new recipe I tried out this year.  Before, I would just used canned green beans, canned cream of mushroom soup, and canned fried onions to create this yummy casserole.  However, I had a desire to ditch the cans and make it all from scratch.  I have been making my own “cream of” soup base for some other casseroles, so I was confident about that part.  Then, I found this recipe that used pan fried shallots in butter in place of canned fried onions.  I used that idea, but used onions instead of shallots.  I don’t have a great picture of the finished casserole, but you can see it in the bottom of this picture of our dinner, toward the left.  We all really enjoyed it, and this will be how we make it from now on.

Thanksgiving dinner spread with green bean casserole

Green Bean Casserole

What you need:

Cream of mushroom soup base:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk

2 pounds fresh green beans, washed and cut as desired
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 small onions, thinly sliced into rings
4 tablespoons butter

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a 3 quart sauce pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter for the cream of mushroom soup base over medium-low heat.  Stir in mushrooms, and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Mix in flour, and cook for 3-4 minutes to lightly brown the flour.  Next, whisk in the chicken broth and 1 cup milk.  Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened.

Meanwhile, prepare  a large pot of boiling water and a bowl of ice water.  Blanch green beans in the boiling water for 5 minutes, then remove and place in the bowl of ice water for 5 minutes.  Drain water from green beans.

Add the blanched green beans to the pot with the thickened cream of mushroom base.  Stir in 1/2 cup milk, Worcestershire sauce, and ground black pepper.  Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

While that is simmering, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet.  Add onions, and toss in melted butter.  Cook onions in the butter, until they become a golden color.  Remove to a paper towel to cool.

Onions fried in butter

Mix in half of the cooked onions in with the cream of mushroom and green bean mixture. Remove from heat.

Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour green bean mixture into the dish.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Casserole should be bubbly.  Gently stir.  Add the remaining cooked onions over the top of the casserole.  Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, being careful to not overcook the onions on top.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve.

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Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

26 Nov

Today, I wanted soup and I also wanted to use ground beef.  So, I decided that cheeseburger soup sounded good, if it even existed.  It does, but most recipes I found have celery, carrots, potatoes.  All good things, but I really just wanted it to taste like a cheeseburger.  It did!  My husband and I both liked it, but my kids weren’t really fans. (But, they were both grumpy, so that may have played a part in their not liking it.)

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

What you need:

1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced mushrooms**
3 tablespoons flour**
2 cups milk**
4 cups beef broth
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon, crumbled

How to make it:

In a large pot, mix together ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, and pepper.  Brown meat over medium high heat.  Stir in diced onion, and cook until soft.  Next, stir in diced mushrooms, and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.  Sprinkle in flour, stir in and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Pour in milk and beef broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low to simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Stir in shredded cheese and crumbled bacon, and heat until cheese is melted.

**If desired, a can of cream of mushroom soup concentrate or homemade cream of mushroom soup concentrate can be substituted for the mushrooms, flour, and milk.

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Thanksgiving Menu 2013

25 Nov

It’s that time of year again, and I’m excited to cook up a big meal!  Of course, it’s most likely just going to be my little family of 4, but we will still go through the leftovers in no time!  This year, I am planning on having:

  • Turkey: I got a 13.5 pound turkey for $0.49/pound from Safeway.  It was a Personalized Deal from their Just for U program, that if I spent $25, I got an 8-24 pound turkey for $0.49/pound.  I also got a 12 pound turkey from Fry’s, it was $0.79/pound when I spent $25.  The first turkey is already in the refrigerator thawing, the second turkey is in my deep freeze to eat at another time.  If you have questions about thawing your turkey, the USDA has good information here.
  • Mashed potatoes: I splurged and got gold potatoes for our mashed potatoes this year.  They weren’t on sale like russet potatoes were, but I really prefer gold potatoes.  I will leave the skins on, and prepare them like this: http://wp.me/p1ORT6-2z
  • Bread and Celery dressing: My absolute favorite!  The last couple of years I used a loaf of bread to make the dressing, but this year I will be “cheating” and bought a box of Mrs. Cubbison’s to cut down on prep time a little.  We’ll see if it measures up to my regular recipe: http://wp.me/p1ORT6-bt
  • Wild Rice and Sausage dressing: I went back and forth on making this dish this year.  However, since I have a lot of breakfast sausage in my freezer from Zaycon Foods and wild rice was on sale at Safeway, I decided it was making the list.  This is a recipe I got from my aunt, and it has been in close competition with bread and celery dressing as my favorite dish: http://wp.me/p1ORT6-bp
  • Green Bean Casserole: I will be using green beans from my freezer that were fresh green beans from a Market on the Move event earlier this year.  I will also not be using a can of cream of mushroom soup, I will be making my own creamy soup base with cut up mushrooms.  I’m undecided on the onions, I may use fresh, diced onion in place of the French’s fried onions.  It won’t have the crunch on top like with the fried onions, though.  Stay tuned for the results!
  • Cranberry sauce: Last year was my first year making cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries, and I have some in my freezer, so I will be making it again!  I don’t know what took me so long to finally make it, although I may substitute honey for the sugar in it this year: http://wp.me/p1ORT6-zh
  • Dinner Rolls:  I’m horrible at baking (I blame the altitude), so I bought brown and serve rolls from Safeway.
  • Sweet Potato Pie: Yes, different from the traditional pumpkin pie, but delicious in its own right: http://wp.me/p1ORT6-bD  Which reminds me, I better remember to thaw the pie crust!

So, what is on your menu for this year?

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Make Your Own Pizza Night!

17 Nov

Last night, I had 2 packets of yeast that needed to be used, so I decided that we would make pizza!  Both of my girls participated in mixing the dough, spreading it out, and putting on the toppings.  The 2 packets of yeast that I had were Rapid Rise, so I was able to use my favorite, quick crust recipe from Fleischmann’s: 

  • 1-3/4 to 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
  • 1 envelope Fleischmann’s® Pizza Crust Yeast OR RapidRise Yeast
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar 
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt 
  • 2/3 cup very warm water (120 to 130°F)
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. If using RapidRise yeast, let dough rest at this point for 10 minutes. (My Note: Since I used RapidRise yeast, after kneading, we formed a ball with the dough, put it back in the bowl, and drizzled with olive oil.  I covered it with plastic wrap, and set to rest and rise for 10 minutes)

Pat dough with floured hands to fill greased pizza pan or baking sheet. OR roll dough on a floured counter to 12-inch circle; place in greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Form a rim by pinching the edge of the dough. (My Note: I have 2 pizza stones that I sprayed with olive oil.  Then, I sprinkled corn meal on the olive oil before spreading the dough on the stone.)

Spread with pizza sauce. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese, and other toppings as desired.

Bake on lowest oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.

 

Here is how K’s looked before baking.  She was so proud of her creation.  Hers has sauce, then grated Parmesan cheese, then shredded mozzarella.  She put pepperoni on it, then a chopped olive on each piece of pepperoni.  Finally, she put a pile of shredded cheddar in the center.  

Homemade pizza

 

And, I only got a picture of S’s pizza after baking.  Hers was just cheese.

S's cheese pizza

 

We made 2 big pizzas, but the dough could easily be divided to make 4 or 6 smaller pizzas so that each family member gets there own personal pizza.  I love that I have an easy recipe that we like a lot to make our own pizza!  

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