Menu of the Week

Go figure the week that Jim thinks I hit it out of the ballpark I miss the pic of my chalkboard menu wall. At least I snapped a few pics of the dishes before we devoured them.

Menu of the Week

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Have you tried Chicken Spaghetti? Like Charlie Sheen is trending in the news right now, Chicken Spaghetti was trending a while back, then everyone forgot about it...at least I did. Then Jim asked me recently to make a casserole that he could reheat at work for lunch all week long. I remembered how GREAT my Chicken Spaghetti Ole tasted as leftovers so I got to it again and developed a new Chicken Spaghetti recipe, taking notes from the Pioneer Woman's recipe from 2007.

I gathered the last of my frozen chicken from the freezer, a box of whole wheat dried spaghetti, a 4 ounce jar of pimentos, a head of garlic, a green bell pepper, an onion, two cans of low fat cream of chicken soup, 3 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, Lawry's seasoned salt and cayenne pepper.

I didn't even bother defrosting the chicken. Instead I put the three frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of my dutch oven, topped with about a tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkled in some salt and pepper, put the lid on and popped the cookware in the oven at 350 for one hour. I even left the house, ran a few quick errands, and when I returned, fully cooked chicken! Once cooked, shred with two forks! You could also give the chicken a small dice if you like that sort of thing. Jim prefers the chunks, I prefer the shred.

Leftover Breakfast Casserole

What do you do the day after a party when you are left with crunchy french bread? Well, I made a breakfast casserole that Jim really loved. I bought two loaves of french bread for a get together and only half of what I purchased was consumed. The rest sat out overnight and was dried out and nearly useless until I decided to make the best of it and created this wonderful leftover breakfast casserole. Here is how I did it.

I used this hot pork sausage and browned it in a skillet, breaking it up as it cooked.

Seasoned with onion powder.

And a teaspoon full of minced garlic.

Next, I used an 8x8 glass baking dish and made a bottom layer of leftover bread.

Then topped with a layer of my hot pork sausage.

To add more flavor, I sprinkled some italian seasoning on top of the pork.

I defrosted a small box of frozen spinach and then then squeezed out most of the moisture. Then I sprinkled some on top of the pork for a LITTLE healthy punch.

If I had thought of it, this picture above would show a thin layer of cheese...but I didn't think of it, so there isn't any cheese here.

Instead I repeated with more crunchy pieces of leftover bread.

Then topped with the other half of the hot pork sausage.

In a mixing bowl I cracked four eggs.

Whisked them together really good.

And added a cup of milk. This is actually half and half - It was on it's last leg and I wanted to use it up.

That explains why it looks so thick and clings to the measuring cup. Mmmm, but it taste so good.

My secret ingredient! Ground mustard seed. Just add about a teaspoon or less of this stuff.

Whisk all the liquid well together.

Now cover that baby with some shredded cheddar cheese!

Pour all of the egg mixture right on top of the casserole, covering the surface.

The liquid almost fills up the entire casserole, that is good because the bread is going to soak up the egg and milk mixture overnight. When we cook this bad boy in the morning, it's going to be perfectly moist and dense.

It's ready to go, but I'm going to cover it for now and place in the fridge until morning.

Wipe the sleep from your eyes and bake the casserole at 350 for 50 minutes.

Once you have a cup of hot coffee and are awake, carefully remove the foil from the baking dish for the last 10 minutes of it's cooking time. This breakfast turned out great and I was able to salvage some food that was destined to be thrown away by combining it all together and covering it in cheese. Martha would call this a good thing. Jim did too!

Classic Beef Enchiladas

I decided to make these beef enchiladas because Jim received the domino game "Mexican Train" for Christmas and I thought we should have a few friends over and serve enchiladas and margaritas while we play the game.

This recipe comes from Pioneer Woman who has never let me down with her recipes. If you aren't a fan of beef, then check out my Chicken Verde Sour Cream Enchiladas, they are SO GOOD!

I start with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat, then whisk in 1 tablespoon of flour. I'm making a rue here. This will serve as the base for our sauce, and thicken the can of red enchilada sauce that I'm about to add. Keep whisking as it cooks, for about 2-3 minutes.

I had to open this can from the bottom because the top was awkward. I found this mild enchilada sauce at my grocery store on the Mexican food aisle.

Pour in one large 28 ounce can of red enchilada sauce and add some seasoning: 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 to 45 minutes.

For the meat mixture I started by sauteing 1 diced onion in a large skillet. Then crumbled 1 1/2 pounds ground beef on top and let it brown. Then drained off most of the fat and add 2 4-ounce cans diced green chilies. Last, add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Meat - Done. Turn off the heat and let this cool for a while.

The sauce has thickened quite a bit and a taste test tells me this is right on track!

In another skillet (yes, this is my third pan to dirty) heat about a half inch of vegetable oil and we are going to fry individual corn tortillas just until soft. We don't want them crispy at all, just soft and a little blistered - just a few seconds on each side.

Here is my stack of softened corn tortillas after I fry them in the oil. Just stack them on a paper towel and we will begin assembly in just a sec.

Start by dipping each corn tortilla into the warm sauce. Just a quick dip is all they need.

I dipped about five at a time and set on my assembly plate.

Our additional filling may surprise youme. One can of chopped black olives and a bowl of chopped green onions.

Here are the easy steps to filling our tortillas: Spoon some of the meat mixture, then some chopped black olives, add some green onions...

AND don't forget the shredded cheese. This is pre-shredded store bought cheddar. It's all the same to me, although some would argue that shredding your own cheese is best. Whatever, I don't always have time for that.

Then simply roll the tortilla up like a cigar and place seam side down in your baking dish. As you can see in the picture I spread a little of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of my casserole dish. This will help me get them out after baking.

Once you get them all in the baking dishes, pour more sauce over the top and add more cheese and green onions. Bake for 20 minutes at 350, or until cheese is melted and enchiladas are bubbly. After you remove the pans from the oven, top with chopped cilantro for a great Mexican look and flavor.


Definitely serve with margaritas or a mexican beer like Tecate or Dos Equis...and play Mexican Train while you eat these up - that's really fun!

Shepherd’s Pie Pub Crawl

You know it's going to be a good night when all four of your girlfriends each walk to the table with a pitcher of beer. This picture was taken in 07 when a group of friends met up after work at the Draft House, a local neighborhood pub.

This recipe for pub grub really appealed to me because it consisted of all the foods I know Jim loves. Shepherd's Pie is essentially a casserole, lined with cooked meat and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked. How perfect! Shepherd's Pie is an English dish, traditionally made with lamb but Americans typically make this with beef.

A comforting pub favorite, Shepherd’s Pie gets updated by Michael Chiarello, and I go along for the ride, a very rewarding one! A pint of Guinness and a dart board and we’ve got ourselves a party! My red head Jim is Irish and my dad’s mother is Irish so I couldn’t believe that neither of us had never experienced Shepherd’s Pie before. This was a real treat, learning to cook something from our ancestors just made me feel like I was connecting with family I’ve never met. It also stretches my culinary experience in a whole new direction.


So here is what we need for Shepherd’s Pie:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound minced British lamb (I couldn’t find this so I used a combo of ground turkey and beef)
1 pound minced beef
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped very small
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms (I left this out)
1 level tablespoon tomato puree
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 level tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups fresh beef stock
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the crust:
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup scallions, cleaned and chopped (I left this out only because I didn’t have any on hand)
1 cup mature Cheddar, coarsely grated

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or deep saute pan. Brown the lamb and beef. I used half beef, half ground turkey.

Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon.

To that same dutch oven I add just a tad bit of olive oil.

Chop up two onions and throw those in the dutch oven.

Chop up the carrots and throw those in the dutch oven when the onions start to brown.

Fresh thyme. This is one of those secret ingredients that really makes the dish in my opinion.

So the onions went in, they started to turn brown, then I threw in the carrots and cooked for about five minutes. Garlic isn't in the recipe, but you can see here in my picture I added two cloves of minced garlic.

If you were going to add mushrooms, add them here. I'm skipping because we aren't big fans of the mushroom in my kitchen. Moving on...add the tomato puree (paste, sauce, whatever you have), add chopped fresh thyme, parsley and cinnamon.

Cinnamon seemed like an odd seasoning for this dish. I must say you could taste a hint of it in the final dish but I'm not certain if it added or took away. Not sure if I would do it again.

Stir and saute for two minutes.

Next, stir in the flour, which will soak up the juices.

Stir in the wine. I'm pouring a Bridlewood Syrah this evening.

The wine really loosened up the brown bits on the bottom of the dutch oven. Those are bits of magic right there! Yum!

Next we pour in the beef stock.

Now is when we do a taste test and add salt and pepper if needed.

I actually added about a teaspoon of garlic salt and a teaspoon of black pepper.

Return the cooked ground meat to the pan

and bring the mixture to a boil.

Cover, turn down the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.

While the meat is finishing up on the stove, lets do the topping. Peel the potatoes with a vegetable peeler and cut into large even-sized pieces. We want even-sized pieces so they cook evenly and finish at the same time.

Now this is important (according to Ina)! Cover potatoes with COLD water, add salt and then put on stove. We start with cold water (doesn't have to have ice cubes in it or anything) so that the potatoes don't get gummy. Bring the water to a boil and cook potatoes until they are fork tender, about 10 minutes.

When you can easily pierce the potato with a fork, drain the water out.

Turn off the burner. And hen I drape the pot with a kitchen towel for about five minutes. Why? Because Ina does this when she cooks potatoes - she says the steam will finish cooking them. Okay! I would do whatever Ina says.

Next we make mashed potatoes. I'm using milk, butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

Add butter and milk, and mash with a potato masher. Add splashes of milk and seasonings along the way, taste as you go.

Here is a little of the meat mixture, cooked completely. I scooped myself some in a shallow bowl.

Then I topped it with some of those homemade mashed potatoes.

Then sprinkled some cheddar cheese on top for good measure. See, I couldn't wait to prepare the casserole and bake it... I wanted a serving NOW. It was great! I can't say enough about the flavor of the meat and vegetables. The wine and beef broth brought so much flavor.

I divided the meat and potatoes into two 8x8 casserole dishes. One for me and Jim and one to share with friends. Scoop the meat mixture in the bottom, just give it a nice even layer and then top with your mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake the pie in a 400 degree oven until the top is crusty and golden, about 25 minutes.

We both really loved this meal. In the future I would go through the trouble of making the meat mixture as instructed, but possibly use instant mashed potatoes for the topping.

I recommend having friends over for darts, serve Shepherd's Pie and drink Guinness!

Mmmm.... Here is my little bowl that I prepared for myself.

This is a good picture of some cheesy potatoes and seasoned ground meat and veggies. I bet this freezes really well too. Lately I've been making two small casseroles instead of one large pan since I'm just feeding two people. When I get a larger freezer I can start freezing one meal for an easy homemade meal on a night I don't want to or don't have time to cook.