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 13.1

Baby showers are usually a finger food affair. It's a time for snacking and light, small dishes. Several friends got together to have a shower for one of our fellow SLIS comrades who was expecting a baby girl. We kept the menu light as it was a lunchtime event. Her cake, done by a friend, was gorgeous! the food complimented the time together and was delicious as well. I made two dishes and friends made others so we could split the workload.

These two dishes were both very good. I especially liked the chicken tortellini salad. I went through quite a lot to make them, though. I should have used a different kind of tortellini (I used the frozen kind rather than the refrigerated kind) and I also busted a cutting board in the process. I never thought that would happen, but it sure did. I left my kitchen a disaster to get to the party on time and fortunately for me my wonderful boyfriend came over and cleaned my kitchen up for me. It was a challenge because it was a mess! Thank goodness he is not afraid of working in the kitchen.

I unfortunately do not have images of the dishes I made, but I will include an image of the gorgeous cake. Also, a friend sent these recipes to me so I am not sure where she got them.

Hot Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped and drained
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 c. mayo
Garlic powder to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes in a lightly greased small casserole dish.

Chicken Tortellini Salad

Ingredients:

2 9 oz. packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. chopped cooked chicken
1 c. frozen sweet peas, thawed
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions
1/2 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare tortellini according to package directions. Process olive oil, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice garlic cloves and Worcestershire sauce in a blender or food processor. Toss olive oil mixture with tortellini, chicken, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and serve.

Here is a picture of the cake for little Maelia.

Kitchen Adventures 12.6

"It tastes like chicken." We've all heard this before. The trick is to make chicken NOT taste like chicken. I'm always looking for different types of chicken recipes to mix it up so I'm not eating the same chicken thing over and over again.
This is a pretty good chicken recipe. It uses a small number of spices, but it's just the right combination. The yogurt gives it a nice touch, too. It's an easy recipe to make, which also makes it more appealing. Remember to read the entire recipe as this will take longer than you anticipate since it has to refrigerate for 30 minutes. It's worth it, though!

This recipe is from  Every Day with Rachael Ray.

Spiced Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

One 6-ounce container plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
Salt and pepper
4 large chicken breast halves on the bone (I used boneless and it worked fine.)

Directions:

1. In a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, combine the yogurt, garlic, cumin, chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cut two slits in each chicken breast and add these to the yogurt mixture in the bag. Turn the bag and make sure the chicken breasts are thoroughly coated. Leave the chicken in the bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the chicken on  a rack and over a rimmed baking sheet and roast until cooked through, about 30 minutes.
*Note: only roast on the rack if bone-in. If boneless, just cook on the baking sheet and check them at about 20 minutes.

Kitchen Adventures 12.5

I'm back! After a long respite due to a very busy autumn, I am catching up on my very large backlog of recipes while on break. The perks of working at a university just keep going. :)

This first recipe is one I made for a work birthday party. I have had this recipe since my time at Pitt, about five years ago now. Time flies! I never had problems with this recipe while in Pitt, but for some reason every time I have made it in Norman the middle sinks down after baking. I don't know if I'm overmixing or using bad baking powder, but regardless people even like that part of it.

This coffee cake is great for dessert or breakfast. Chocolate chips and cinnamon are a great combination! And remember, if you run out of sour cream you can always substitute plain yogurt. It works just as well and no one will know the difference!

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick butter at room temperature
2 eggs at room temperature
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8"x8" square baking pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking p0wder, baking soda and salt. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Beat the butter and remaining 1 cup sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture until combined and pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon-sugar mixture and half the chocolate chips. Spoon the remaining batter into the pan and spread out, then top with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture and chocolate chips.
3. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 30-35 mintues.

*From Every Day with Rachael Ray.

Kitchen Adventures 12.4

As I sit here getting ready to make dinner tonight, I am realizing that I need to start chipping away at this recipe backlog. So, here is my first attempt at getting this backlog down. (This sounds like work situations, too. Goodness.)

I am a big fan of quick dinners, and dinners that don't make a huge mess. One dish dinners are my favorite for both of these reasons.Many times you can find these recipes as advertisements for products in food magazines, and that is exactly how I found this one. There are always lots of ads in my Everyday with Rachael Ray magazines. Sometimes they look quick and easy (ok, most times) and most of them look pretty delicious.

This recipe was pretty good. If you are not a brown rice fan, though, you may want to substitute white rice instead as the brown rice is a key ingredient and component of this recipe.

Quick & Easy Chicken, Broccoli and Brown Rice

Ingredients:

1 T. vegetable oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 c. water
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 c. uncooked instant brown rice
2 c. fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with pepper and paprika, and some salt if you want, to taste, then place in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
2. Stir the soup, water, paprika and black pepper in the skillet and heat to a boil.
3. Stir the rice and broccoli in the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Return the chicken to the skillet and sprinkle additional paprika and black pepper over the chicken. Cover the skillet and cook five minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender.

Kitchen Adventures 12.3

Sometimes the name of a recipe can really turn you on or off of a recipe. Names can have connotations that give you a a preconceived idea of how a recipe will taste. To me, the word "haystacks" does not sound appealing. I am not a cow or horse, after all. But, just like many other things, once you look beyond the name your ideas about that thing may change. That is exactly what happened to me with this recipe. I had looked at it for several years, trying to decide if I would ever make it. Finally, I decided to look at the ingredients and discovered that it really just looked like a Frito chili pie recipe. Since I love that, I figured this would be good, too. And I was right!

This recipe came from my ever-dependable Triple T youth group cookbook. This recipe was actually submitted by my old high school trig teacher's wife. They are such good people that I figured it must be worth trying.

Mexican Haystacks

Ingredients:

2 lb. hamburger, browned
1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans, drained
3/4 (6 oz.) c. tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1 (32 oz.) can tomatoes (I substitutes 1 can tomato sauce and 2 cans of water since I'm not a big tomato fan)
2 T. chili powder
1 package corn chips
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
6 oz. grated cheese (or as much as you like!)

Directions:

Season your hamburger with a little taco seasoning and chili powder while browning, then drain. Add the beans, tomato paste, tomatoes (or tomato sauce), chili powder, and salt to browned and drained hamburger. Cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. When serving, place a handful of corn chips in a bowl, then pour the meat mixture over the chips. Top with lettuce and cheese.
*You might substitute crisped tortilla strips instead of chips.

Kitchen Adventures 12.2

Gracious, that was a long posting break! I guess I was just busy. That, and I need to be better about balancing my time. So many recipes to share now! Slowly but surely I will get caught up.

Here is the first step in getting caught up. Back in June (it seems so long ago!) I found a recipe I had printed off several weeks earlier from the Food Network. I'll admit, it was a little different and not for everyone, but it was good. You definitely needed a drink of water after having one of these spicy sweets, though!

Mexican Brownies

Directions:

Prepare your favorite brownies, from a mix or homemade. Add in 3/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper and one teaspoon ground cinnamon to the batter. This is for a batch that fits in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake the brownies according to the box directions or the recipe directions. If desired, top with a scoop of ice cream and sprinkle with cinnamon when serving.