This meatloaf tastes fabulous
Ingredients--Salsa Verde:
*Onion-one small and sweet
*Jalapeno
*Garlic
*Tomatillos
*Salt
Heat water on high on stove. Chop ingredients roughly, then add to lightly salted boiling water. Boil until soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Blend boiled veggies, along with some of the boiling water, until it's a salsa consistency.
Ingredients--Meat Loaf
*Ground Beef-I use 2 lbs because I have a big family
*Eggs-2
*Bread Crumbs-1/2 cup
*Garlic Salt to taste
*Pepper to taste
*Several dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
*Homemade Salsa Verde (recipe above)
After preparing the salsa, combine meatloaf ingredients. Substitute the salsa for the usual tomato sauce. Mix well, then place in a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. The center should not be pink when cut.
This pairs nicely with summer squash, black beans, and some tortilla chips on the side.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Pumpkin Stew
I have never really known what to do with pumpkins, other than put them on my porch in the fall. They looked so pretty in the produce section, that I decided I'd try to make something edible. This was a happy imagining gone right.
Ingredients:
*Small pumpkin
*Ground Chuck
*Onion
*Shallots
*Sweet bell peppers--read, yellow
*Milk
*Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer--1/2 cup
*Pumpkin Pie Spice--1 tsp
*Garam Masala
Wash pumpkin and carefully split it with a butcher's knife. Gut the meat and seeds. **Set aside the seeds to wash, season, and bake in the oven. You can eat them later as a healthy snack.** Cut the pumpkin meat into small chunks.
Saute the ground chuck with minced garlic, and add finely chopped onions and peppers. In a separate pot, simmer pumpkin chunks in water until soft. Put softened pumpkin in blender and puree with milk until creamy. Combine creamed mixture with the meat and veggies, then stir in pumpkin creamer, pumpkin pie spice, and a dash of garam masala. Simmer until flavors are blended.
If you want to really embrace that fall feeling, put the soup mixture in the shelled out pumpkin and place it in the oven to bake at 350 degrees, rather than cooking it on the stove. I think I put a tin foil collar around the top so it wouldn't burn, but can't promise on that tidbit. Either way, the kitchen got nice and toasty. I made enough that we enjoyed left-overs the next day.
**This could probably be served with some spicy shredded cheese--a Monterey Jack with jalapenos--sprinkled on top. I imagine a few of the toasted pumpkin seeds might make a nice garnish, as well....as long as you coarsely chop them with a large knife, so as not to choke on them! :)
Ingredients:
*Small pumpkin
*Ground Chuck
*Onion
*Shallots
*Sweet bell peppers--read, yellow
*Milk
*Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer--1/2 cup
*Pumpkin Pie Spice--1 tsp
*Garam Masala
Wash pumpkin and carefully split it with a butcher's knife. Gut the meat and seeds. **Set aside the seeds to wash, season, and bake in the oven. You can eat them later as a healthy snack.** Cut the pumpkin meat into small chunks.
Saute the ground chuck with minced garlic, and add finely chopped onions and peppers. In a separate pot, simmer pumpkin chunks in water until soft. Put softened pumpkin in blender and puree with milk until creamy. Combine creamed mixture with the meat and veggies, then stir in pumpkin creamer, pumpkin pie spice, and a dash of garam masala. Simmer until flavors are blended.
If you want to really embrace that fall feeling, put the soup mixture in the shelled out pumpkin and place it in the oven to bake at 350 degrees, rather than cooking it on the stove. I think I put a tin foil collar around the top so it wouldn't burn, but can't promise on that tidbit. Either way, the kitchen got nice and toasty. I made enough that we enjoyed left-overs the next day.
**This could probably be served with some spicy shredded cheese--a Monterey Jack with jalapenos--sprinkled on top. I imagine a few of the toasted pumpkin seeds might make a nice garnish, as well....as long as you coarsely chop them with a large knife, so as not to choke on them! :)
White Beans with Raspberry Salsa
Don't let the combination put you off. This is a fabulous bean recipe that even my pickiest eater loves!
Ingredients:
*Dried Great Northern Beans, 1 lb
*Sweet Onion
*Shallots
*Minced Garlic
*Water
*Olive Oil
*Herbes de Provence
*Garlic Salt
*Bay Leaf
*Mrs. Renfro's Raspberry Chipotle Salsa (to taste, but I think about 1/3 cup is sufficient to flavor the beans)
Soak the beans overnight with salt, then drain and rinse the next day. Heat oil in a Dutch Oven, then sautee finely diced shallots and onions; add minced garlic. When the mixture is golden, add the beans. Cover with water, add a couple of dashes of olive oil, the Herbes de Provence, and the Bay Leaf, then bring to a boil. Let it boil until most of the water is gone, then add fresh water and allow to simmer. You do not want to cover the beans, as you're not making a soup, but add enough that they won't dry up and burn. Add the Raspberry Chipotle Salsa to the simmering beans, and cook until soft.
Enjoy the combination of the beans and sweet, tangy heat of the salsa. I generally served this over buttered toast. Make a lot, if you want left-overs!
Chicken and Rice Soup
Here's a nice soup to toast your tummy with during the cold winter months.
Ingredients:
*Chicken Stock (I make my own. Recipe to follow below)
*Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
*Sweet Bulb Onions
*Garlic
*Wild Rice, pre-cooked and cooled
*Herbs de Provence
*Heavy Cream (amount depends on how creamy you want it)
*Butter-a couple of pats
Sautee diced onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add shredded chicken and the butter. Stir over medium heat, without letting the onion and garlic burn. This allows the chicken to get slightly caramelized before adding the broth and cream. Season with Herbs de Provence, then add the chicken stock. Stir in the rice, finish off with the cream, and heat thoroughly.
Serve with a nice, crusty bread.
Chicken Stock Recipe:
*Water
*Knorr's Chicken Bouillon-1 to 2 TBSP, depending on how strong you want your broth
*Garlic Salt
*2-3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
*Dash of Sriracha Sauce
*Dash of olive oil
Heat to boiling; stir ingredients to break up and blend powders together with sauces and oil
Ingredients:
*Chicken Stock (I make my own. Recipe to follow below)
*Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
*Sweet Bulb Onions
*Garlic
*Wild Rice, pre-cooked and cooled
*Herbs de Provence
*Heavy Cream (amount depends on how creamy you want it)
*Butter-a couple of pats
Sautee diced onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add shredded chicken and the butter. Stir over medium heat, without letting the onion and garlic burn. This allows the chicken to get slightly caramelized before adding the broth and cream. Season with Herbs de Provence, then add the chicken stock. Stir in the rice, finish off with the cream, and heat thoroughly.
Serve with a nice, crusty bread.
Chicken Stock Recipe:
*Water
*Knorr's Chicken Bouillon-1 to 2 TBSP, depending on how strong you want your broth
*Garlic Salt
*2-3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
*Dash of Sriracha Sauce
*Dash of olive oil
Heat to boiling; stir ingredients to break up and blend powders together with sauces and oil
BBQ Shrimp Salad
It's still December, and I'm starting to think about our party season. With four kids' birthdays after Valentine's Day and before Easter, I spend a lot of time and energy gearing up for entertaining. After a brief lull, it's time to start planning for summer and pool parties. With that in mind, I'm looking for old recipes I've concocted in the past. This one was written on the back of a flyer for hail damage; we had a big storm come through, and everyone had to re-roof several years back.
Ingredients:
*Wild Gulf Brown Shrimp, deveined (or whatever shrimp you can get your hands on)
*Smoky Citrus Salsa (mine came from HEB, but you can probably find something similar at whatever grocery store you frequent)
*Sweet Bulb Onions (or Vidalia will do)...I prefer the delicate flavor of the small bulbs and their stalks)
*Garlic to taste
*Sweet Bell Peppers--red, yellow, orange
*Lettuce--I used a Spring Mixture
*Boar's Head Jalapeno Havarti
*Olive Oil
Marinate the shrimp in the smoky citrus salsa for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the diced sweet bulb onions, garlic, and sweet bell peppers in olive oil until soft. Set this aside in the refrigerator to cool. Heat oil in skillet on high until it smokes, then cook the shrimp for about three minutes. Remove from the heat source immediately, so as not to overcook the little gems.
Prepare a bed of lettuce on your serving plate, then place cooled shrimp and reduced salsa marinade on top. Grate the jalapeno havarti over this mixture, then generously drizzle a mixture of olive oil/smoky citrus salsa as a dressing.
You can serve this with your favorite bread or cracker. I cut up chunks of whole wheat bakery bread, but a nice buttery cracker might play off the flavors nicely, as well.
This quick, easy recipe will impress your friends and family. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
*Wild Gulf Brown Shrimp, deveined (or whatever shrimp you can get your hands on)
*Smoky Citrus Salsa (mine came from HEB, but you can probably find something similar at whatever grocery store you frequent)
*Sweet Bulb Onions (or Vidalia will do)...I prefer the delicate flavor of the small bulbs and their stalks)
*Garlic to taste
*Sweet Bell Peppers--red, yellow, orange
*Lettuce--I used a Spring Mixture
*Boar's Head Jalapeno Havarti
*Olive Oil
Marinate the shrimp in the smoky citrus salsa for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the diced sweet bulb onions, garlic, and sweet bell peppers in olive oil until soft. Set this aside in the refrigerator to cool. Heat oil in skillet on high until it smokes, then cook the shrimp for about three minutes. Remove from the heat source immediately, so as not to overcook the little gems.
Prepare a bed of lettuce on your serving plate, then place cooled shrimp and reduced salsa marinade on top. Grate the jalapeno havarti over this mixture, then generously drizzle a mixture of olive oil/smoky citrus salsa as a dressing.
You can serve this with your favorite bread or cracker. I cut up chunks of whole wheat bakery bread, but a nice buttery cracker might play off the flavors nicely, as well.
This quick, easy recipe will impress your friends and family. Enjoy!
Pool-side Party Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
Tri-colored Bowtie Pasta, cooked & chilled
Diced Kalamata olives
Cucumbers
Crumbled Goat Cheese (feta would work, too)
Girard's Champagne Dressing
Mix ingredients together and chill.
You don't need salt because of the briny olives and cheese. You could add fresh diced tomatoes, as well. This can be created over a number of hours. It's best to make it early, so the flavors can blend. I like dishes that can be composed over a period of time, between changing diapers, breaking up fights over who gets to choose the movie, and phone calls from people who have changed their mind about not coming.
Entertaining should be as easy as possible, and this is the perfect recipe for that!
Party Sangria
Ingredients:
Barefoot Pinot Grigio (2 large bottles)
Blackberries-1 tub, rinsed**
Strawberries-1 tub, rinsed and halved
Sugar-- 1 and 1/3 cups
White-Cran Raspberry Juice
1 can 5-Alive frozen concentrate
Mix all ingredients except the blackberries and reserved strawberries in your largest drink dispenser and refrigerate overnight. This allows the flavors to "bleed" into the wine.
**Blackberries have a tendency to break down more quickly than the other fruit. If your dispenser has a spigot, the small kernels and seeds can get clogged there. This makes it difficult to fill cups and please your friends!
Taste OFTEN the next day prior to your party, in order to verify consistency of flavor......and to calm pre-parrrrty jitterszh. :)
Just prior to serving, rinse blackberries and remaining strawberries; slice the strawberries and place both fruits in the drink mixture. This will freshen up the color, since the other fruit will have broken down somewhat in the alcohol.
Some people like to add something fizzy just before serving. Ginger ale, tonic water, and Sprite are options.
This particular sangria recipe of mine generally goes quickly. Enjoy!!
Barefoot Pinot Grigio (2 large bottles)
Blackberries-1 tub, rinsed**
Strawberries-1 tub, rinsed and halved
Sugar-- 1 and 1/3 cups
White-Cran Raspberry Juice
1 can 5-Alive frozen concentrate
Mix all ingredients except the blackberries and reserved strawberries in your largest drink dispenser and refrigerate overnight. This allows the flavors to "bleed" into the wine.
**Blackberries have a tendency to break down more quickly than the other fruit. If your dispenser has a spigot, the small kernels and seeds can get clogged there. This makes it difficult to fill cups and please your friends!
Taste OFTEN the next day prior to your party, in order to verify consistency of flavor......and to calm pre-parrrrty jitterszh. :)
Just prior to serving, rinse blackberries and remaining strawberries; slice the strawberries and place both fruits in the drink mixture. This will freshen up the color, since the other fruit will have broken down somewhat in the alcohol.
Some people like to add something fizzy just before serving. Ginger ale, tonic water, and Sprite are options.
This particular sangria recipe of mine generally goes quickly. Enjoy!!
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