Kitchen Adventures 13.2

When someone says "down home cooking," people can have different ideas. For me, it makes me think of casseroles, roast, potatoes, and veggies. Normally meat and veggies combined comes in the form of pot roast and veggies. However, I found a pie recipe, similar to a chicken pot pie, that is quite delicious.

This dish took some effort, mainly because I ended up with way too much food for my cooking dish. You really do need a deep pie dish or a skillet for this one. I ended up using my pie dish for part of it and baked the rest of the filling wrapped up in the remainder of the crust. That turned out pretty well, too, which just proves mistakes can be delicious.

This recipe is another one from Every Day with Rachael Ray.

Beef, Cheddar and Potato Pie

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef'
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 c. dark beer
8 ounces shredded Sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed but cool
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 T. butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the beef, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and potato in a large skillet, breaking up the meat, over medium-high heat until the beef is cooked through and some liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, add the beer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cheese, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then let cool.
2. On a floured surface, roil 1 puff pastry sheet into a 12-inch round. Place this in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet or deep pie dish. Roll the remaining pastry into an 11-inch round. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat mixture into the skillet/pie dish. Lightly brush the edges of the crust with some egg wash, then place the second pastry sheet on top. Press the edges to seal, then trim to a 1/2-inch edge.
3. Place the pie on a baking sheet. Brush the top with the egg wash and cut an "X" in the top. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bake for 45 minutes. Tent the pie with foil if the crust darkens too quickly. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 minutes when done.

Kitchen Adventures 9.3

Oh life, you art so busy! Of course, it's because I make it that way. No one is MAKING me go do all the things I do, except for work-related things, of course. All this socializing I do is of my own free will. It all puts things into perspective, though. Sometimes I think about the lives some of my other friends have, being married with babies or babies on the way. At times I think maybe this is the life I'm supposed to have, or at least what the world thinks I should have by this point in my life. But, then I get to go hang out with whoever, whenever I want and do lots of fun things like have girls night, listen to cover bands, watch sporting events and enjoy the company of my friends. I'm sure I could do all these things if I was married or have babies, but I'm quite content to enjoy this single, lovely life that God has given me.

I'm not quite sure what that all has to do with my recipe posting, but it was just a rumination that came to me. Anyway, back to the recipe, which I know is what most people look for on this blog. Well, not to disappoint, here it is! This is another recipe that came from the Wheat State Manor cookbook my mom gave me a few years ago for Christmas. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can substitute some of the ingredients to fit what you have. For instance, I did not have the right kind of potatoes because the shredded hash browns were all sold out from the store. Apparently this is a vital item right before a snowstorm. Anyway, the chunk potatoes worked just as well. It's all about making what you have work for you. Hope you like this yummy casserole!

Chicken Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1 32 oz. pkg. frozen shredded potatoes, thawed
6 chicken breast halves, cooked and diced
1 c. melted butter, divided
1 can cream of chicken soup
12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 sm. onion, diced (I omitted this)
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. pkg. sour cream
Corn flakes, crushed

Directions:

Spread the potatoes in the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish. Place the chicken over the potatoes. Combine the remaining ingredients with the exception of 1/2 c. butter and the corn flakes, and then pour this over the chicken. Mix together the remaining butter and the crushed corn flakes. I don't have an exact measurement for the corn flakes, but just crush enough until the butter is all absorbed. Spread the corn flake mix on top of the other ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Kitchen Adventures 9.2

Everyone loves a good party, right? I know I sure do! My friends and I like to gather and celebrate things, be it a big event like some one's birthday or a going away party or a sporting event. So, of course, we had to get together to watch the Super Bowl between the Packers and the Steelers. I made sure to wear my green sweater to urge the Pack on to victory, and I guess it worked! :) It was a good game, but we always end up socializing so much half the time we're not even paying attention. We just like each other too much I guess. :)

For any party, you have to have good party food. Snacky finger-food items are a must-have. In my binders of recipes I have an entire section for this type of food that I don't get to break into very often, so I deliberately planned to make some items from this section for the party. And I'm sure glad I did, because they were hits!

I took three things to the party. Of course we had too much food, because everyone else brought that much as well. Better to have extra than not enough, though! Two of the recipes I made are from Rachael Ray's magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray. The other one is something my sister told me that is super quick and deceptively delicious and addictive. Hope you are able to use them at your next gathering!

Baked Potato Bites (from Every Day with Rachel Ray)

Ingredients:

4 red potatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds and patted dry
1/2 c. olive oil
Salt
1/2 lb. bacon
1/3 c. sour cream
1/3 c. cream cheese
1 T finely chopped chives (I omitted these b/c I couldn't find them at the store)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degree. Toss the potato rounds in the olive oil, coating all sides. Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt. Arrange them in a single layer. Bake for 25 minutes, flip them over, and bake for another 10 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
2. While the potatoes are baking, cook the bacon until crisp and then crumble it; set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream and cream cheese until smooth.
3. Arrange the potato slices in a single layer on a plate or serving dish and top each round with a spoonful of the cream mixture, some bacon bits, and chives. Serve warm.

Cheesy Corn Bites (from Every Day with Rachael Ray)

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
1 egg
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
48 scoop-shaped tortilla chips
Chopped chives, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, pepper jack cheese, egg and corn.
2. Arrange the chips in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Spoon 1 T. of the cream cheese mixture into each chip. Bake until the filling sets, about 20 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with chives and serve warm.

Tortilla Roll-ups

Ingredients:

Tortillas, any size or kind (flour are better than corn for this)
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
Taco seasoning

Directions:

Stir the softened cream cheese until it is smooth. Shake in taco seasoning to taste. Do this in stages so it does not get too strong. Spread the cream cheese mixture onto tortillas, making a thin layer of cheese on each tortilla. Roll up the tortillas, then slice them like a sushi roll.

This picture includes a couple of each item. Yummy!