Friday, June 29, 2012

All American Salisbury Steaks

My mom is an amazing cook, but not in a traditional sense.

Yes her food is, most importantly, yummy to eat however, her

talents lay in the way she can feed an army a filling meal with

little to nothing in the pantry.  We grew up with our tummies

full, never going to bed hungry but this was no easy task for my

parents. They worked very hard and there were in fact times when

we barely scraped by. My Mother’s knack for peering into a nearly

bare cupboard and in 45 minutes or less presenting a delicious

filling meal ensured our family’s survival. One of the meals she used

to cook on a fairly regular basis was what she called “glorified

hamburgers.” These burgers were made with hamburger mixed

with chopped onion, a little ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.

The patties were then pressed into saltine cracker crumbs and then

fried in this impressive, black, cast-iron skillet. Sounds simple and

maybe even a little odd but they were very tasty and a welcomed

change from what sometimes was the third or fourth night of

some version of a hamburger based meal. (Hamburger was by

far the cheapest of meats at times and went the furthest)

I took this idea and combined it with a similar recipe that I got

from a nephew of mine.

salisbury steak, bulk cooking, american meals, fried hamburgers, burgers and gravy, simple steaks.  

 

You will need about 1 1/2 lbs. Hamburger

1 cup minced onion

1/4 –1/2 cup oatmeal

2 eggs

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup milk

1 can Golden Mushroom soup

1 sleeve crushed butter crackers (I used Ritz)  

TBS. Oil for frying

*Mix all ingredients except crackers and

soup  in a bowl.

mix

Form into patties and then press patties into crushed

butter crackers.

cracker crust

Then, fry in olive oil until golden brown.  Burgers do not have

to be cooked through. They will finish cooking in the oven.

fried burgers

Now, place burgers in a baking dish and

cover the burgers with the soup.  {This meal

is also one of my bulk cooking meals I make 12’ish

burgers at a time and then place them in foil

baking trays. I cover them in the soup, then in plastic wrap.

I cover the entire thing with foil and freeze. This way in

same amount of time it takes me to make one nights meal,

I have prepared two more in advance!}

gravy plastic wrap freezer meal, bulk cooking

Bake in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes or until the burger is cooked

all the way through.

 

The soup makes a delicious gravy which reminds me of the old T.V. dinners

back in the day. (of which I would never eat now, but loved as a kid)

My mom is an All-American cook at heart who reminds me to be humble

and remember where I came from. I am grateful for her talent to make

great things out of very little. It was humility, and the hard work of the

working class that built this nation. It was the sacrifice of Mother’s and

Father’s alike that paved a better life for their children and their children’s

children. That is what makes this country grand. I am thankful for my roots

and I am proud to be an American.

 

Thus the re-name of this re-mix dish to All-American Salisbury Steaks and

why I chose this recipe above all others as my 4th of July post this year!  

I love you Mom and all that you have done for me. You are an inspiration.

 

Happy Independence Day!

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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Simple trash to treasure

I LOVE taking what appears to be junk and turning

it into something fabulous! My husband loves the

results but hates to participate in the “finding” of

such treasures! We drove past this beauty nearly

twenty times over a span of two weeks and every

time we passed it I drooled, and every time my

hubby stepped on the gas. Well, I finally found

myself driving on my own one day and I scored!

I felt triumphant! Then it sat on the back porch all

winter long. See, here in Flag I am restricted by

season as to when I can paint.

 

{ Insert your imagination Here}

 

This is where I was supposed to but the glorious pre-

picture of my “trash” It was great! A dirty white  wicker

frame with a splash of blue stain across one side.

Can you picture it? Pretty trashy right. Okay, I will

explain. I have been going through a lot of emotional

turmoil the last six months and well, I have somehow

lost my picture along with my mind. So use your imagination

and enjoy the following post-pics. they are good too.

It just looses it’s “wow” factor without the before photo. Sorry folks.

love is spoken here, trash to treasure, wall plaque, DIY home decor

 

The phrase is from one of my favorite songs I sing to my son.

It makes a big statement on a very blank wall of our home.

With it’s size I think I may add more fabric flowers to it so that

it balances out more.

fabric flowers, flowers made from rick-rack, flowers made from sweater.

I made the two roses by rolling old rick-rack around itself, and

the larger flower was from the sleeves of an old sweater!

The frame was from what looked like an old vanity. Between

paint and the thin fiber board for the back this project

cost me around 6 bucks! Can’t beat that!

 

Oh BTW, the flowers are removable! I attached wire to the

back of the flowers and then wedged the “stem” in the frame.

This way I have the option of changing the accents by the season.

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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Penne Rustica

penne rustica, pasa dishes,

 

Macaroni Grill is my husband’s absolute favorite place to eat and when

we get the chance to go, we always split the the Penne Rustica!

I found this recipe some time ago on Your Home Based Mom.

I made a few customizations of my own to make it a little closer to the original

and I tell you what, there is no other copycat recipe as close as this one is

to the original flavor!

 

 


Ingredients:

12 oz. grilled chicken breast
1/4 lbs. Pancetta

1/4 lbs. Prosciutto
2 boxes penne pasta
1 1/2large red bell peppers- diced and sautéed till soft 
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika for sauce and some to sprinkle on top!

3 cups Mozzarella cheese

prosciutto and pancetta

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tbs. butter
3 large cloves chopped garlic
1/3 apple juice + 2 tbs. red wine vinegar + 1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary and several sprigs for garnish
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
4 cups heavy cream +
3/4 cup milk

 

Directions:
Sauté garlic and peppers in butter in large pan.

Add apple juice mixture, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper,

and heavy cream and milk.

penne rustica

 

             Cook pasta according to directions.

penne pasta

Chop pancetta and prosciutto into small pieces and then fry

in a skillet. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.

(***Tip, when grilling chicken at any time be sure to add a couple extra

breasts on the grill. Then slice up and throw in the freezer for future meals

like this one. This Saved me a good hours worth of time! )

Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, pancetta, prosciutto,

bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly.

Spread in pans, and top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Garnish with 3 rosemary sprigs in each pan.

penne rustica, cooking in bulk

When I set out to make this recipe I did not realize how large the recipe

was, but I was incredibly grateful that it did!

In one prep I made four dinners at once. Considering the amount of work

involved up front it was very beneficial to get three future dinners done

at the same time.  

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of.

Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number Of Servings: Yields 4
Preparation Time: More than an hour

Future suggestions… As we started to eat we realized that the ONLY thing that

was missing was the shrimp! So next time I will add lightly sautéed Shrimp.

 

penne rustica

 

I chose to serve this with a simple salad and sourdough bread,

baked and buttered with garlic-butter.

 

Taking the time to set a simple table Scape sets the mood

and some how makes the food taste that much better!

Making dinner at home special also makes it easier to make

the choice to eat at home.

We even played some Italian music as we ate!

Italian table scape

This is a great meal for date night, Valentines Day,

Italian themed movie night, Birthday Celebration,

or Father’s day.  Here is a fantastic dessert to

accompany any Italian meal!

This is now a permanent recipe in my rotation of

bulk meals. Since we are in Flagstaff now, and there

is not a Macaroni Grill here, this helps  to satisfy

my husbands withdrawals! 

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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Kitchen Aide Accident!

It was late, and I was working under a heavy cloud of sleep deprivation.

I was up very late two nights in a row trying to prepare a lesson to be

observed by my new boss. The lesson went extraordinarily well, and as

always, I had promised my students a great reward for their extra effort.

After a long stressful day at work, a grocery store run for supplies,

and a fully cooked meal for the family, I set to work on the cupcakes

of my dreams. The first mistake I made, (which looking back,

should have tipped me off on how this project was going to go) was

purchasing a generic brand of cake mix. It had an odd texture,

and did not seem to mix well by hand. So, I dug out the handmaiden of all

handmaidens my precious Kitchen Aide!

I placed the contents in the bowl and set her to work…..

And then… well, I got a bit side tracked and ….. let’s just say

the consistency was no longer chunky but very very smooth

and very very aerated.  “oh well, they will still taste good right?”

and away I proceed. I then fill 24 cups to the top, (against the cupcake instructions)

because of course I want huge, impressive,  high top cupcakes like you find at Costco!

But, no, that is NOT what I got. What I got was a cupcake disaster that

resembled Pangaea, complete with all the tops connecting perfectly

to form a nearly solid flat surface. 

Well, scratch those, and start again,

After scrubbing the muffin tin clean for 20 minutes,

the rest of them baked oaky with little mishap.

But wait there’s more!

As my barely-tolerable cupcakes cooled I began my butter-cream

frosting. Hope renewed, I start with my butter and whip it in my

mixer till smooth and begin to add the first cup of powdered sugar.

{The rest of this story happened in a matter of seconds but in my

fatigued mind it was in very slow motion} As I am dumping the powdered

sugar I feel my grip on the cup loosen and I watch it as it falls into the bowl

of speedily whipping butter. Like a bomb going off there is a truly

magnificent explosion of butter and sugar in a perfect spray pattern

across my kitchen, across me and across the face of my three-year-olds

angelically, surprised face. The grinding of the motor and the off-beat scraping

sounds of my priceless Kitchen Aide wakes me from a trance of shock. I here

myself saying turn… it… off… stupid! 

and I gradually feel my arm catching up with my slow reacting mind as

I see my arm reach out to turn the abused mixer off. The clanging stops

and my eyes scan and assess the damage. My Son stands affixed,

wide-eyed in wonderment covered in icing! I see what can only be described

as a beautifully powdered wall, black table and dark tile indicating all too

perfectly the location and direction of the detonation. My husband emerges

cautiously from the office located at the furthest end of the kitchen and does

a quick assessment of the incident and then he, with some hesitation in his

voice asks,…what the heck happened?  It was at that moment that

 I l-o-s-t, lost it! I gave in to hysterical laughter! How could I not?

I mean, I have been cooking and baking since I was seven, what a completely

amateur move!   

                      These pictures could never give it justice!

IMG_2046

 

 

IMG_2057          

IMG_2060 

Fortunately, my engineer of a husband was able to

bend my whip back into a usable shape and there was no

permanent damage to my favorite kitchen helper!

 

The show must go on, so I proceeded to finish my cupcakes.

I was up till midnight but I got them done. In my opinion, they

were the worst tasting but most adorable looking cupcakes.

 

I thought that it would be fitting to take at least one photo

with the splattered table as the backdrop.

 IMG_2050

I did sweep the floor that night but the table and walls did not

get cleaned until the next day!

IMG_2055

In the words of my students. “WOW Those are awesome!”

They loved the story about the exploding cupcakes and

the epic story spread through the school hallways that day.

 

 

 

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