Sunday, June 27, 2010

Saucy Mozzarella Patties

Saucy Mozzarella Patties
From: Hun What's for dinner?
1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce or 16-24 oz homemade marinara/pasta sauce
1 lb ground turkey (or meat of your choice)
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 cups breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
butter or margarine, olive or veggie oil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or fave melting cheese)
1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

Place ground meat into a large mixing bowl and add egg & incorporate into meat. Add 1 cup bread crumbs, add salt, pepper & garlic powder. Combine ingredients by hand until well-blended. Melt about 1 TB of butter & about 1 TB of olive oil in pan.Put 2 cups bread crumbs into flat dish. Measure 1/3 cup of meat with a 1/3 measuring cup & flatten meat into a patty, like a hamburger. Press patty into dish with bread crumbs to coat/bread patty. Cook patty in butter & olive oil just until both sides are browned. Place patties in a flat baking dish, sprayed with cooking oil if desired. Repeat until all of meat mixture is used. Spoon some sauce onto top of each patty. Sprinkle with Parmesan and then with mozzarella. Drizzle more sauce on top of cheese. Bake at 350* until cheese is melted and bubbly, but not brown; about 15-20 minutes. Makes 6-8 patties.

Review: I used ground beef, I really wanted to do turkey but did not have it on hand. These smelled great as they where cooking! Tastes good too!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

These are spectacular tasting burgers. The combination of the mushrooms in the wine sauce and the smoked gouda make these a burger worth making.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground sirloin or beef
1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
garlic powder and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
1 shallot, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
6 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup marsala
1/2 cup beef broth
4 slices smoked gouda or sharp cheddar cheese (I used the gouda)
French baguette or crusty rolls, for serving (I just used regular wheat hamburger buns because that's what I had on hand).

Lightly mix together the ground sirloin and Worcestershire. Form the mixture into four patties. Season on both sides with garlic powder and fresh pepper.

Heat grill to medium heat (can also fry in a pan if you don't want to grill them). Cook the burgers until they are just undercooked to your liking (so if you like your burgers medium, cook until medium rare). Remove from the grill and set aside.

In a large skillet, add the butter, the shallot, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute until tender and the mushrooms have lost all their juices. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the marsala. Scrape up any browned bits from the pan and reduce the liquid by half. Add the broth and reduce again by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the burgers into the pan and continue cooking another minute or so. Top with the cheese and melt (cover with a lid if you have one to make this easier). Serve the burgers on the baguette/rolls and top with the mushroom mixture.

Posted by Cynthia Matzat at 2:44 PM
Labels: grill, ground beef, main dish, sandwiches

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Chicken Linguine with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

Chicken Linguine with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

2 Yellow Onions
1 Tbl Olive Oil
3 Chicken Breasts
3 4 oz. cans of mushrooms, drained (I am sure fresh would be better, but I did my shopping last week and I didn't want the mushrooms to get slimy....blech!)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
4-5 cups whole milk
2 tsp basil (again, I am sure fresh would be much better, but I didn't know if it would keep)
1 lb. linguine (they used rigatoni, but I prefer the "noodle" pasta)
Salt and Pepper


Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. The key to caramelizing onions is having a VERY hot pan and time. Lots of time. While the pan is heating, peel, quarter, and thinly slice the onions. Once the pan is hot, saute the onions until they turn a nice caramely color. Don't burn of course, just make sure to stir the onions every few minutes. Mine took close to 30 minutes to caramelize....it seems like they won't ever start to caramelize, but be patient, they will!




Once the onions are finished, put them in bowl and set aside. Using the same pan, grill the chicken until internal temp is 165 degrees or until the middle is no longer pink. I like to let the chicken brown on each side on about medium heat, stick my thermometer (like this one--thanks Mom!) in the chicken, set the thermometer to 165 degrees, and cover the pan. When is reaches 165, it beeps to let you know its done. Pretty simple. Plus you won't catch any food borne illness from improperly cooked foods. And that's always nice.

Once the chicken is done, set on a cutting board and let it sit for a few minutes. You don't want to slice it when it's super hot, otherwise all the juices will run out. As it cools, it will help retain those juices when you slice into it.

As the chicken is cooling, place the butter in the pan over medium heat. This will also help the onion and chicken flavor de-glaze the pan. Add the flour. This is what cooks call a roux. Let this brown up a bit, as this helps cook the flour flavor out. Add your milk and stir the roux with the milk. This will thicken as it heats and can take several minutes. Add the basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare your pasta according to package directions. You can cook it just a little shy of being done, as it will absorb some of the moisture from the cream sauce. Drain your pasta and add your cream sauce, onions, chicken, and mushrooms. Let it heat through. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top.

Hickory Chicken

Hickory Chicken
chicken pieces
Hickory Barbeque Sauce (I used Kraft Hickory and Honey)
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 Tablespoon onion, chopped
Place chicken in the bottom of a casserole dish. Mix barbeque sauce, pineapple and onion together. Pour over chicken. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight

Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Depending on the size of the chicken pieces.


This was simple and had great flavor, it tasted good with the twice baked potatoe casserole.

Monday, June 14, 2010

twice baked potatoe Cassorole

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole from here

2 lbs. potatoes, unpeeled and cubed
4 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sour cream or 1/2 c. sour cream and 1/2 c. Ranch dressing
4-5 slices chopped bacon, cooked
2 c. cheese
2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 t. garlic powder
!. Boil potatoes until fork-tender. Drain and return to pot. Slightly mash potatoes before adding any other ingredients.
2. Add cream cheese, sour cream (or sour cream and ranch), bacon, 1 c. cheese and the seasonings to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.
3. Transfer the potato mixture to a small casserole dish. Cover with remaining cheese. Refrigerate or bake immediately at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.*If I had had some green onions on hand, I definitely would have added those too

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Friday, June 11, 2010

Steak and Cheese Melt Pizza

From Family Circle Magazine

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large onions (about 1 pound total), sliced thin
1-1/4 teaspoons Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 boneless strip steaks (about 8 ounces each), 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
1 large (14 ounces) baked pizza crust (such as Boboli)
2 tablespoons deli-style mustard
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded provolone cheese
Directions
1. Heat broiler. Spray broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon of the steak seasoning. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent and lightly browned.

3. While onions are cooking, season steaks with 3/4 teaspoon of the steak seasoning. Broil for 2 minutes per side. Remove from broiler and slice thin against the grain.

4. Place pizza crust on the broiler pan and spread with mustard. Sprinkle half of the cheddar and half of the provolone over the top, then add the sliced steak and onions. Sprinkle remaining cheeses over steak. Broil for 1 minute until cheese melts and steak is heated.

5. Remove to cutting board and cut into 6 slices.

Review: Simple and delicious. I also altered the recipe by using BBQ sauce instead of mustard. Both ways they tasted great

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Cowboy Burgers

Cowboy Burgers

2 pounds ground beef
8 ounces bacon, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Divide the mixture into burger portions. Using your hands or a hamburger press, form each portion into a patty. Fry on a hot grill until desired doneness. Sautee mushrooms and serve over burger. Cook onion rings and serve over patty. Top with cheese of your choice.

Review: These are a recipe that I adapated. I love all the added flavor of adding mushrooms and onion rings.

Bacon and Mushroom Rice

Bacon & Mushroom Rice from One Crazy Cookie

1 lb bacon, cook crisp and break into small pieces.
Cook 4 cups rice with 4 teaspoons chicken boullion added to the water.

1 cup onions, minced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
12 oz. mushrooms, sliced (any variety you like).
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add oil, onion and garlic. Cook about 6 minutes or until the onions are tender. Stir in mushrooms and cook 5-8 minutes until mushrooms are tender. Stir in rice, 1 cup chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cook until heated through. Remove from heat and add cheese and bacon. Stir to combine. Serve!! YUM!!

Review: This was a good recipe. It was very flavor and of course had mushrooms so we all loved it!

French's onion Chicken

ingredients:
2 cups (4 oz.) FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

4 (5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Place French Fried Onions and flour into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.

Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet.

Bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until no longer pink in center.

Review: Quick and easy!

Crockpot Pork Chops and Mustard Sauced Potatoes

Crockpot Pork Chops and Mustard Sauced Potatoes - from Finding Joy in my Kitchen
6 pork lion chops
1 T olive oil
1 recipe, cream of mushroom soup (about 1 can)
1/4 C chicken broth (or white wine)
1/4 C Dijon-style mustard
1 tsp. dried thyme (you can substitute 1 tsp. Italian seasoning)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 medium potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices

In a large mixing bowl combine wine/broth, Dijon mustard, thyme, garlic, and pepper.Slice up the potatoes, and mix them with the soup. Then, brown the pork chops in a frying pan. Layer the potatoes/soup mix on the bottom of a well-greased crockpot. Place the browned pork chops over the top. Then, pour the Dijon sauce over the top of the pork chops and potatoes. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-5 hours, until potatoes are tender and pork chops are tender and internal temperature indicates they are done.

Review: This was simple and delicious, their really is something to say for the flavor when the food is browned in the skillet first

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Banana Crumb Muffins
Rachel via allrecipes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Meal Plan Monday

Monday: Cowboy Burgers

Tuesday:Crockpot Pork Chops and Saucy Potatoes

Wednesday: French's Chicken with brown rice casserole

Thursday:Chicken Linguine with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

Friday:Oven Baked Burrito

Saturday:Hickory Chicken and Bacon Mushroom Rice

Sunday: White Chicken Enchiladas

I have to try these:
Cake mix Blondie's
Cream Cheese Brownie Bites