Avgolemono Chicken Soup

Strange name I know, it's Greek and is a wonderful Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup.  I went to a ladies night out and a friend brought this soup to the event.  I went back for thirds and then took some home with me to share with my husband.  Delicious!  My kids all love it too and it is a frequent request now.  I make it about every other week now.  The recipe is from Cat Cora on the Food Network.  I made a few changes to suit my family's tastes.

Just today my daughter announced that every Restaurant should have this recipe and serve it because she would order it every time!  It really is that good.  Do try it!
Source:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/avgolemono-chicken-soup-with-egg-lemon-sauce-recipe/index.html

Avgolemono: Chicken Soup with Egg-Lemon Sauce - Cat Cora
1 (3 pound) free range chicken
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 bay leaves
1 leek, cleaned and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and quartered
2/3 cup Aborio rice
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions

Place the chicken in a large pot with 2 quarts cold water, enough to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, skimming when necessary.

In a separate pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the onions. Sweat the onions until clear. Set aside.

When chicken is cooked through, remove from the broth. Let the chicken cool and pull the meat from the bones. Dice into large cubes. Set aside.

Add the onion, bay leaves, leek, and carrot to the broth and simmer for 1 hour. When finished, remove the carrot and leek from the broth and add the rice. Bring to a boil and then turn heat to medium high to simmer until the rice is cooked to al dente, about 30 minutes. Add the chicken back into the broth. Add more water if needed.

In a small bowl beat the eggs and lemon juice together. Pour 2 cups of broth slowly into the bowl of egg and lemon, whisking continuously. Once all the broth is incorporated, add the mixture into the pot of chicken soup and stir to blend well throughout. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Recipe Notes


Prep     10 min
Cook    3 hr 10 min
Total:     3 hr 20 min
Serves 8-10


Becky's NOTES:
After I remove the carrots and leeks I chop the carrots into small pieces (last time I even squeezed them through my potato ricer) I add the carrots back into the soup with the chicken.  I do not add onions, my kids don't care for the texture, but I do let them simmer in the broth with the leeks and carrots, but do not add them to the final product.  Very very yummy and fairly easy to make!  Do go out and buy some Aborio rice, it is perfect for this soup.

Chicken Fried Steak

Chicken Fried Steak
There is something special and comforting about this dish.  I have tried them in various restaurants, but never made them myself.  A few months ago, I ate a rather poor version of Chicken Fried Steak in a restaurant... and it was a POOR version, combined with the fact that it was really poor service that day and they didn't bring the gravy out with the steak and I had to wait 5 to 10 minutes for them to bring it and by then my steak was less than perfect.. so I went to look for a version I can do myself.  This certainly isn't diet food!  I am on a semi diet though -- so I had a small piece.
I made the mistake of buying two family packs of cube steak there were two huge steaks in each pack, but I could have just purchased one..as I cut them into smaller pieces to make them manageable.  I followed the recipe from allrecipes.com exactly, but seasoned up the gravy with a few dashes of Tabasco sauce to get the taste where I like it.                                        
I also drizzled lemon juice over the steaks for extra flavor, but did not find it to give it much flavor, I think next time I will squeeze some over the steaks after they come out of the cast iron skillet (if you have one, this recipe is perfect for it!)  I served this with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans, sorry about the lighting in the picture.  This makes plenty of Gravy!  My husband and I loved it.  The kids preferred it without gravy (I have sick children I know!)

Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/The-Best-Chicken-Fried-Steak/Detail.aspx
The-Best-Chicken-Fried-Steak
4 (1/2 pound) beef cube steaks
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (e.g.
Tabasco™)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable shortening for deep
frying
Gravy:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste (1 Tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper)
5 dashes of Tabasco (Becky's change)

Pound the steaks to about 1/4-inch thickness. Place 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl. Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a separate shallow bowl; stir in the buttermilk, egg, Tabasco Sauce, and garlic. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour.

Heat the shortening in a deep cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate with paper towels to drain. Drain the fat from the skillet, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid and as much of the solid remnants as possible.

Return the skillet to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk the remaining flour into the oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring the gravy to a simmer, cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Spoon the gravy over the steaks to serve.

Recipe Notes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ready in 40 minutes
Serves 4

Becky's NOTES:
After dredging the cube steak in flour and buttermilk and then in flour again it is a pretty gloppy mess!  I stacked my steaks on a plate, but as I got toward the end of frying I didn't know where the steak began to pick it up, next time I will put wax paper between each steak so they don't stick to each other and pull the breading off other steaks.  Will make again!

Breadsticks/Pizza Dough

My daughter's science teacher gave us a recipe to make for extra credit.  I made it twice that weekend.  The first time a single recipe the second time we doubled the recipe...and then I gained 2 lbs!  They are quite delicious.  My daughter sprinkled them with poppy seeds, but kosher salt, sesame seeds, or Parmesan cheese are also great on them.




Mrs. B.'s Bread Sticks/Pizza Dough

Preheat oven to 425F
1 pkg. yeast
1 cup warm water
a few tsp. sugar
Mix above ingredients together and wait until mixture becomes bubbly
add 2 1/3 cups of flour (white, wheat or a mixture)
1 tsp salt
Stir the flour and salt in thoroughly until the dough sticks together in a big ball (I rub some olive oil on my hands to prevent the dough from sticking to me)  Coat the dough with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and a towel.  Set the dough in the bowl aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.

After the dough rises, form it into either bread sticks or into pizza.  Let the dough rise for 10 minutes if you are making pizza, top with toppings and put in oven.
Bake for approx. 20-23 minutes.  Breadsticks may need less time. Remove from oven when ready
Coat breadsticks with butter after baking and sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.  Dip in tomato sauce.

One recipe is enough for one batch of breadsticks, but I often double or triple the recipe.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

I recently went to Olive Garden with my family.  Since it was cold out that day I had their "Chicken Gnocchi Soup" rather than the usual Salad that I have with my meal.  It was so good and tasty, that I had seconds of it and took my main meal home with me to reheat for dinner.

I looked on the internet and found a few different versions of copies.  Here is one I tried that I found on Pioneer Woman's Site: Tasty Kitchen
(http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/soups/chicken-and-gnocchi-soup/)

Preparation:
Saute garlic, grated carrots and 1/2 chopped onion in 2 Tablespoons of Olive oil

Add cooked,chopped chicken and 4 cups of good chicken broth
(the recipe calls for 3 cooked chicken breast halves, I used an already made rotisserie chicken and cut it up into bite size pieces)

Add 2 cups of heavy cream (I did not have two cups of cream and added last 1/2 cup of half and half)

Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried Thyme and season soup with salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and it had nice flavor)

Add about 1/2 cup thawed, drained chopped spinach (the original used fresh spinach chopped, but I didn't have any on hand and this was an easy substitute

Bring to boil and boil for a few minutes then add gnocchi

Add 1 (16 oz) package of Potato Gnocchi
return to boil and allow to boil for about 4 minutes.  After that turn the heat to low and allow to simmer another 10 minutes.

I tasted it at this point and decided to add about 1 teaspoon of Knorr Chicken Bouillon granules to enhance the chicken flavor.  Turned out great.

Here is the recipe:

Chicken Gnocchi Soup


2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 peeled large carrots, grated
1/2 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 chicken breast halves, cooked and cut up (or Rotisserie Chicken)
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream (or mix of heavy cream and half and half)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
16 oz package Potato Gnocchi

Preparation:
Saute the onion, garlic and carrots in olive oil over medium heat until onion is translucent.
Add chicken, chicken broth, heavy cream, salt and pepper, and thyme.  Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi.  Gently boil for 4 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and continue simmering for 10 minutes.  Add chopped fresh (or defrosted frozen chopped spinach) and cook for additional 2 minutes. Taste and add chicken bouillon if you desire. Enjoy!  I will be adding this to our soup favorites.  It is nearly identical to the soup they serve in Olive Garden and oh so good!!

Lemon Chicken II

One of the best sites for new recipes in my opinion is http://allrecipes.com. Today I made a wonderful Lemon Chicken Recipe (Lemon Chicken II on the site: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lemon-Chicken-II/Detail.aspx)  I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out wonderfully!  My entire family loved it.

I did use peanut oil to fry the chicken because I had it on hand and it can go to a high temperature without burning.

Here is the recipe:

Lemon Chicken II
INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Breading:
2 eggs
2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the Sauce:
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl combine the chicken, sherry, soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix together, cover and refrigerate. Let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, 1/4 cup cornstarch and baking powder to form a batter. In a wok, heat 2 cups oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat chicken with batter and fry in wok until browned. Cut into bite size pieces and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, broth, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix together and add lemon slices. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in wok and slowly stir in lemon sauce mixture. Cook, stirring, until sauce is clear. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lemon-Chicken-II/Detail.aspx

Chops in Mushroom Gravy

This is a favorite of my families too.  I originally got it from the Taste of Home Magazine.  I have made a few alterations to get it to my taste.


Chops in Mushroom Gravy - Taste of Home Magazine
Serves 6-8
Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 to 2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 to 8 boneless pork loin chops (1 inch thick)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 med onion -- chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces -- drained
2 cup milk
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Hot mashed potatoes

Instructions

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first four ingredients. Add pork chops, one at a time; toss to coat. Set remaining flour mixture aside. (you will use it to thicken the sauce)
In a large skillet, saute chops in butter until golden brown; transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In the same skillet, saute the onion, green pepper and mushrooms until tender. Stir in reserved flour mixture; gradually add milk until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice. Pour over chops. Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Serve with potatoes.


Becky's Recipe Notes:
Changes I have made.  I like to use Roasted Red Peppers from the jar and dice them instead of using the green peppers.  It gives it a nice flavor.  It is really important not to add the lemon juice too soon, or the sauce seems to curdle.  Whisk it in while adding it.  2 Tbsp is roughly 1 lemon's juice.  I also heat the milk up in the microwave so I am not adding cold liquid to my warm dish.


Here is what I did:
I dredged the pork chops in the flour mixure:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 to 2 teaspoons paprika (I like it seasoned well I use about 1 1/2 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

I melted 4 Tbsp of butter in my scanpan (this is my new favorite non stick pan)


Turn them after they are golden brown. When both sides are browned remove them to a baking dish.

Add the chopped onions, diced (roasted) peppers and can of mushrooms to the pan with the butter.

Stir the flour mixture into the vegetables and cook the flour for a few minutes to remove the raw taste.  It will look a little clumpy, but don't worry it will be fine after you add in the warm milk and incorporate the liquid.

Slowly add the 2 cups of warmed milk




Stir and let the sauce thicken.

Off heat stir in 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Pour the mixture over the pork chops and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 F for 50-60 minutes.  Serve with Mashed Potatoes (my favorite is Garlic Mashed Potatoes) and serve with a salad.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

This is a wonderful refreshing dish that I love to serve at our home.  My husband and I seem to always battle for the last bowl when the late night munchies hit.  We end up sharing!

It is an easy dish to put together, chop your veggies and such while the pasta cooks and then cool the orzo under running cold water and it is a flash to assemble.  The beauty of this dish is you can put any veggies in you want.  My mom made this with green beans once and broccoli another time. Both were delicious.  I happen to like this combination the best.  But if you did not like artichokes, or cucumbers - substitute away!

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
Serves 6-8

3/4 lb Barilla Orzo (I have tried other brands, but I love the size and texture of the Barilla brand)
1 cucumber, peeled and diced (I like the hot house or English ones they are most consistently good)
1 can artichoke hearts
1 can black olives (Greek style if you desire, but can be made with just regular olives if you wish)
1 package cherry or grape tomatoes (chopped tomato is fine too)
fresh basil, chopped (to taste or 1 tsp of dried basil works in a pinch)
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled or cut in cubes if you like larger pieces of feta
1/2 jar roasted Red Peppers (optional)

For the Dressing:
6 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp. mint
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Cook the Pasta according to the directions.  Prepare the vegetables, and put in a large bowl.  When the pasta is cooked, drained and cooled, add to the chopped veggies.  Combine the ingredients of the dressing and pour over the pasta salad.  Combine.  Add the feta cheese last, it seems to hold together better then.  Enjoy.  This really is quite addicting.  I think you will find it is as well.

Pumpkin Belgian Waffles with Vermont Maple Syrup Whipped Cream

I found this great little recipe online at a Bed and Breakfast site that also had a lot of recipes posted
(See http://www.lanierbb.com/recipes/). Here is one I tried this morning and everyone loved! Enjoy Fall.


Pumpkin Belgian Waffles With Vermont Maple Syrup Whipped Cream Recipe
Brought to you by Price House Cottage B&B
Serves: 5-6

Ingredients:

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/4 Tsp Clove
1 Tsp Ginger
1 Tsp Cinnamon
4 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Milk
1 Cup Pumpkin Puree, Canned
4 Eggs, Separated
1 Cup Butter, Melted
For the Flavored Whipping Cream:
1 Cup Whipping Cream
2 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

Instructions:
Preheat waffle iron (Belgian or regular). In a large bowl, combine first seven ingredients. Whisk together milk, pumpkin puree, and egg yolks. Stir pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients and add melted butter. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into pumpkin mixture. Ladle batter onto waffle iron and cook until steam ceases to escape from the iron, producing a lightly browned waffle.

For the Flavored Whipping Cream:
Whip the cream until peaks begin to appear. Add syrup, when peaks begin forming, and finish whipping the cream until stiff peaks form. Serve waffles with pure maple syrup and a generous scoop of the whipped cream.

This is what the batter looks like after you fold in the stiff egg-whites.  It is light and airy

Here is the baked Waffle- nice and golden brown.  Begging for Maple Syrup and Whipped Cream

















BECKY'S NOTE: In the interest of time I skipped the Flavored Whipped Cream (this time) and served it with Maple Syrup and Whipped Cream from a can.  The kids really ate it up too!  My husband LOVED them (and anything Pumpkin) they already requested it for Thanksgiving.

Garlic Herb Cheese Bread

Garlic Herb Cheese Bread

Ingredients

4 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Butter -- softened
1/4 cup Parsley -- fresh, minced
1 Garlic clove -- minced
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 loaf fresh French Bread - sliced lengthwise

Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine cheddar cheese, softened butter, parsley, garlic, garlic powder, and paprika.  Combine with a fork.  Spread on both sides of the french bread; Heat in 375 F oven for 10-15 minutes.

This recipe is great with Lasagna or any pasta.  It has a lot of garlic- which is why I love it!

Lasagna

Lasagna and Garlic Bread always is a hit in our home.  There is something about Lasagna that brings everyone to the table with healthy appetites.

 Lasagna Recipe:
1 lb shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Tbsp. olive oil
 1 lb ground beef
3/4 lb Italian Mild Pork Sausage
3 -28 oz cans Hunts tomato sauce
package of Barilla no cook Lasagna noodles
2 tsp. salt
1 (15 oz) tub Ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs

Shred the Mozzarella cheese if you have not purchased already shredded cheese.  Saute the meats (I substituted them with real meats .. none of this low fat around my house) in olive oil.  I added 1 Tbsp crushed garlic to the last minute of browning.  I drained the meat thoroughly.  I returned the meat to the pan and added the spaghetti sauce, heating it through.
I combined the Ricotta cheese, eggs, 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and mixed them.

Pour about 1 cup of meat sauce in bottom of your lasagna pan and layer with Barilla no cook noodles (these are my favorite to work with)  Add half the cheese mixture and spread out over the noodles.  Top with enough meat sauce to cover.  Top again with Lasagna noodles, remainder of cheese mixture, another layer of sauce and finally another layer of lasagna noodles.  Top this again with sauce (remainder) and Top with remaining cup of Mozzarella cheese.

Cover and bake for 60 minutes at 350 F.  Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.  Remove the lasagna from the oven and let sit (loosely covered with foil) for another 10 minutes.  Trust me it will still be plenty hot when you sit down to eat!  Serve with Garlic Herb Cheese bread (see Recipe).

Succulent Braised Pork

I watched the series on Food Network: "The Next Food Network Star" and fell in love with Melissa D'Arabian.  To my great surprise she won.  I made her Cafe Green Salad in the past and loved the flavor that her dressing had.  Today, I slow roasted her recipe of Succulent Braised Pork.  Once again, the flavor was a winner, my husband eagerly headed in for a second helping.  Always a good sign.  I think I will use the leftovers to make my Shepherd's Pie next time!  The flavors of the gravy are wonderful.  I served them with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables to round out the meal.  The one change I did make to her recipe is that I used more than one carrot.  My family loves roasted carrots, so I put in about 7 large carrots and it cooked up just fine!  Once again Melissa -- a great recipe.  You can also find the recipe at the Food Network website.


Succulent Braised Pork - Melissa D Arabian Food Network

Ingredients
2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 6 large chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
1 bunch parsley stems, tied with string
2 bay leaves
1 cup water

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and working in batches brown the meat on all sides until a golden crust forms. Transfer the pork to a plate. To the pan add the onion, celery, and carrot and sweat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes to cook off the raw flavor and caramelize it. Sprinkle with the flour and cook another 2 minutes to cook off its raw flavor. Whisk in the wine and reduce it by half. Return the pork to the Dutch oven, then stir in the beef stock, parsley stems, and bay leaves. Add the water if liquid does not come up to the top of the pork. Do not cover the pork with liquid. Cover the pan and place it in the oven to braise until the meat is fork tender, about 3 hours. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 3 hr 30 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves: 4 servings plus leftovers

Aunt Helen's Strawberry Crepes

My Aunt Helen is a wonderful cook.  I had the honor of living with them briefly when I was in College and she would make these wonderful Strawberry Crepes for dessert.  This was the summer that I met my husband.  I still like to make these from time to time and now my children enjoy them too!  Today I made them for breakfast.

Strawberry Crepes
Makes 12 crepes-Serves 4 (3 Crepes per serving)

For the CREPES:
1 cup bisquick mix
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
For the SOUR CREAM SAUCE:
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup brown sugar

1-2 pints sliced fresh Strawberries

Grease a 6-7 inch non stick skillet lightly; heat until hot.  Beat baking mix, milk and eggs with a hand beater or whip until smooth.  For each crepe pour 2-3 Tablespoons batter into the skillet and rotate until the batter covers the bottom.  Cook until golden brown.  Gently loosen edge with spatula, turn and cook other side until golden brown.  Stack placing waxed paper between each; keep covered to prevent them from drying out.  Mix 1 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup brown sugar.  Hull and slice 1-2 pints fresh strawberries.  Place 1 Tablespoon sour cream mixture across center of each crepe.  Sprinkle with sliced berries.  Roll and place on plate or serving platter.  Repeat;  Top with additional sour cream and berries.  Enjoy!


For the crepes, I combined 1 cup Bisquick mix with 3/4 cups of milk and 2 eggs.

I use my favorite non stick pan.  As I pour in the batter I rotate the pan so it is as thin as possible.  I did add about 2 Tbps of milk in addition to the milk to make the batter a little thinner.
This helps the crepes to be very thin.

I have the sour cream and brown sugar mixture close at hand to fill the crepes.

And the strawberries as well

As I finish cooking the crepes I put them directly on the plates for serving, I find this  slightly easier to assemble and then later I do not need to transfer them from a platter.  While the next crepe is cooking I assemble the crepe and roll it and keep an eye on the crepe that is cooking so it does not overcook.

I put about 1 Tablespoon of the sour cream and sugar mixture down the middle of the crepe.

 

Next I put a few spoon fulls of sliced strawberries on the sour cream sauce

 

I roll up the crepe and place it to the side of the plate so I make room for the other 2 crepes.

 

After the crepes are finished I drizzle more sour cream sauce over the top of the crepes and add some more strawberries.

Set the plate aside while you finish the other three servings and present your loved ones with a treat that will keep their bellies smiling for a few hours.

This makes a great dessert for special guests, or a great brunch treat.

I did once make these for a gathering of 20 people, but my back actually started hurting from making the crepes.  I would double this recipe, but making crepes one at a time for a larger group is not something I will do again.

Enjoy!

Jacket Potatoes with Bacon and Mushroom Sauce

Here is another family favorite. It is originally a recipe by Paula Deen on the Food Network, but I have changed the recipe to suit our families tastes. I have listed the ingredients as it appears in the original recipe and put brackets around ingredients I have omitted- or added

Jacket Potatoes with Bacon, Mushrooms and Peppercorn Sauce
Paula Deen Food Network, Serves 4
4 baking potatoes (I buy the huge ones- the size of Texas or at the very least a large Island Nation)
12 oz bacon, cut up into small pieces
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup brandy
(1 Tbsp. green peppercorns, drenched in cold water)-omitted
1 cup cream (I use Heavy Whipping Cream)
Salt and pepper
Butter for topping
(I also use Parmesan cheese for topping, but that is not in the original)

Preheat oven to 400 F Prepare potatoes by washing them, sprinkling them with Kosher salt, and poking with a fork. Bake until soft about 1 hour.

Sauce: Saute bacon, ( I drain off the fat), add mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Pour brandy first into a measuring cup (DO NOT POUR DIRECTLY FROM THE BOTTLE) and then into the pan and carefully ignite with a long match ( WORD TO THE WISE: the flame kicks up pretty high-12 - 18 inches even, so remove it from the cook top and hold away from things like the Microwave, your eye brows, hair... but don't worry it will slowly burn down and go out!) After the alcohol burns off and the flame has died, stir in the peppercorns if desired. Stir in the cream and heat through without boiling it. Salt and pepper to taste .

Cut open the baked potatoes and top each with butter, then cover with sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Enjoy

Pictures of Preparation:


I start by cooking about half the bacon and set those aside after they crisp. Drain off all the fat and then cook the remaining bacon until they start to "sweat".










Add the mushrooms as the second batch of bacon cooks.



Carefully add in the brandy -- remember to pour from a different container and not straight from the bottle. Ignite with a long match and pull away from the stove top to prevent burning your microwave or cabinets. Keep clear of the flame until it dies down. My husband was alarmed when this happened, and was ready to spring into action like the hero that he is! :-) I assured him this was expected! You might be nice enough to tell your family in advance before you have extingishing foam in your dinner! :-)






Add in the cream and heat through over low heat.












Heat through stirring occasionally.









Cut your baked potatoes lengthwise and top with butter.
The potatoes really are the size of Texas as you can see. You really could make smaller potatoes, we just like a good snack later on. But it is a great way to stretch your dollar, one potato could easily serve two!





Serve the sauce over the baked potato.

Enjoy!

Tasty Meat Pie

I watched "Julie and Julia" yesterday with my husband. It was an enjoyable movie I thought - then I thought about my much neglected blog. Of course, I have not set up a challenge such as the "Julie Julia Project", where I am cooking through a cookbook. That is an undertaking I cannot imagine fitting into my schedule -- As a busy mother of three children, I always strive to make meals that the whole family enjoys but does not take a ton of preparation. When I first married, I subscribed to Taste of Home Magazine and I have a collection of my favorites from that publication and some of the sister publications. The recipe in this post for Tasty Meat Pie is one of those comfort food recipes that the whole family enjoys!


Tasty Meat Pie
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 can Campbell's Beef with Vegetable and Barley Soup
1 can Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Double Pie Crust (I buy the pre-made Pillsbury brand it makes it easier)

Preparation:
In a skillet, cook beef and onion unti meat is no longer pink; drain off fat. Add the soups, vegetables, and seasonings. Cook in skillet for 15-20 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Line a deep dish pie pan (I like my Pampered Chef one because it really is deep and holds all the filling) Pour meat filling into the pie crust and cover with remaining pie dough. Cut slits into the crust to vent. Bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. (I put a cookie sheet under the pie dish to catch drips in case it bubbles over) Remove from oven and let stand on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy. Serves 6-8

Pepperoni Calzones

Start with your favorite Pizza Dough Recipe. If you don't have one, see below for my recipe.







Let dough rise for about 20 minutes.








Divide into 6 equal parts (Yes, I can count. :) 5 are pictured here because one is on the board rolled out)







Roll the dough out into a 6 inch circle. Flour the dough a little to keep the dough from sticking to the board.







Spread your favorite Tomato Sauce (I used Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce) which has nice seasonings in the sauce -- or use plain tomato sauce and add seasonings such as garlic, basil, oregano, and pepper





Top the sauce with sliced canned mushrooms and sliced black peppers (or your favorite toppings)







Top with a thin layer of pepperoni slices (or you could use cooked crumbled sausage if you wish)







Top with about 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese








Fold dough over and pinch sides to seal the crust








Carefully transfer to a baking pan, or pizza stone.

Let rest for 15 minutes.






Whisk an egg to brush the tops just before putting in the oven








Brush tops with eggwash.
I sometimes sprinkle the dough with oregano and Parmesan cheese before baking -- feel free to play with the recipe. It makes it more fun.







Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with extra heated Tomato sauce.






Pepperoni Calzone Recipe
Serves 6

Dough
1 package Yeast, Active Dry
1 cup Water -- warm
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Salt
3 cups Flour

Toppings:
8 ounces Tomato Sauce
4 ounces Mushrooms, Canned -- stems and pieces
1 tsp Basil, Dried
1 tsp Oregano
1 clove Garlic -- crushed
4 ounces Olives, Ripe -- sliced
8 ounces Pepperoni -- I like Hormel mild
1 small Green Bell Pepper -- chopped (optional)
1 - 1 1/2 cups Cheese, Mozzarella -- shredded
1 large Egg -- beaten

Instructions

Dough preparation:

Disolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, oil, salt and 1 cup of flour. Mix together well. Add flour ½ cup at a time to make a nice dough. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Put in a greased bowl and cover; allow to rise about 20 minutes. Divide into six equal portions and roll out into 6 to 7-inch circle on a lightly floured board.

Mix tomato sauce, mushrooms, basil, oregano, garlic, and olives together and spread over half of each circle within one inch of the edge. Top with pepperoni, green peppers and cheese. Carefully fold dough over filling and pinch edges to seal securely. Place on a greased cookie sheet and allow to rest about 15 minutes.Brush with beaten egg to give dough a nice sheen. Bake in 375° F oven for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!