Mmm Mmm Good!

Greek Kabobs and Orzo Pilaf by Rachael Ray

pamsteinke — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:04:03 +0000

This looks YUMMY…I’m thinking it may be for dinner on Thursday! We did have it for dinner and we all LOVED it…yet another winner from Rachael!!!

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Ingredients

For the Kabobs:

1/2 cup EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus some for drizzling

4 large cloves garlic, grated or pasted

A scant palmful finely chopped fresh or dried oregano leaves (I used a Greek seasoning mix I had on hand)

Juice of 2 lemons

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or 1 fresh chili pepper such as Fresno, seeded and finely chopped (I omitted this)

Salt and pepper

2 pounds lean leg of lamb or beef sirloin, cut into bite-size cubes

2 large mild peppers (frying or bell), cut into large pieces

1 large onion, cut into large pieces

Fresh bay leaves

For the Pilaf:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup orzo pasta

1 cup long-grain rice

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup flat-leaf parsley, loosely packed – a couple of generous handfuls (no access to fresh parsley so used @ 1/3 C dry)

A handful of fresh dill, about 1/3 cup

A handful of fresh mint, about 1/3 cup (I know that I & my family aren’t big on the mint, so I substituted the Greek seasoning I had)

2 cloves garlic, grated or minced

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and pepper

1 small bundle Swiss chard, leaves stemmed and chopped (used spinach because it was available)

4 scallions, whites and greens finely chopped (love these so doubled)

1 cup Greek feta, drained and crumbled

Yields: Serves 4

Preparation

For the kabobs, combine about 1/2 cup EVOO with the garlic, oregano, lemon juice, crushed red pepper flakes and a liberal dose of salt and pepper. Add meat to marinade and coat; then chill a minimum of 2 hours.

Skewer the meat on metal kabobs. Skewer peppers, onions and bay leaves on separate rod or two and dress with light coating of EVOO, some salt and pepper. Preheat a double-burner grill pan over medium-high to high heat or a broiler to high heat and arrange the oven rack about 6 inches from broiler.

In a medium saucepot with a tight-fitting lid, melt butter over medium heat. Add orzo and stir until golden brown and nutty in fragrance. Add rice, stir to combine then add stock and bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover pot.

Grill or broil kabobs or brochettes 12-16 minutes for medium-rare to medium-well doneness, turning occasionally.

In a food processor, combine herbs for the pilaf, the garlic, lemon juice, about 1/4 cup EVOO, salt and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. After the rice has been cooking for 10 minutes, stir chard and scallions into the pot. Cover and cook 7-8 minutes more then stir in herb mixture.

Serve rice on plates or platters topped with feta crumbles. Serve meat, peppers and onions on top.

Caesar Salad Dressing from Allrecipes.com

pamsteinke — Sun, 01 May 2011 22:05:21 +0000

I had my first, real, prepared table-side Caesar Salad in Charelston, South Carolina…just about all Caesar Salad’s have paled in comparison since then. I did make this dressing and was pleasantly surprised!

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tablespoon ground mustard
1 clove crushed garlic
1 egg
1 lemon, juiced
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups garlic croutons
1 (2 ounce) can anchovy filets

I usually put all the ingredients in a large 4 cup measuring pitcher and blend it with my wand blender. Make sure you blend long enough to get a good emulsification.

Pressure Cooked Sauerbraten

pamsteinke — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:03:26 +0000

Brian mentioned he was hungry for Sauerbraten last night. I didn’t think I had a beef roast in the freezer and figured I would end up making German Pork Roast instead. But I was wrong, there was a small beef roast so I pulled it out and threw it into the microwave to defrost. Sauerbraten is typically marinated in a “pickling” type of mixture for several days before it is cooked and eaten. I didn’t have that kind of time so I thought if I cooked it in the marinade in the pressure cooker I could “fake” the several days of marinating. Brian LOVED it so here is what I did:

Ingredients:

3-4 lb beef roast
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons Pickling Spice
1 onion diced
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour

Mix, in a non-reactive container, the water, vinegars, salt, spices and diced onion.
Put the meat in the marinade. If its not completely submerged in the marinade then turn it frequently throughout the day.
About an 1 1/2 hours before you plan to serve, remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Brown all sides in a skillet with a bit of oil.
Once browned, put the meat, the marinade, sugar and the 2 cups of beef broth in the pressure cooker.
Cook on high pressure for 50 minutes.
After the meat is cooked, remove from pressure cooker and set aside to rest.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour to make a roux.
Strain the liquid the roast cooked in and slowly add to the roux stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
Serve the gravy over the sliced beef.

Greek Chicken from Heather Christo Cooks

pamsteinke — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:50:07 +0000

Greek Chicken and Potatoes

April 13th, 2011

Greek Chicken and Potatoes

If I could choose my last meal- there is a definite chance that this would be it. There is something so special about this chicken and potatoes that it is hard to describe. While being very sentimental personally, (this was a dish that was instrumental to me getting back on my feet after each birth) it is a dish that no one could deny is deeply comforting.

The ingredients, while common, produce the most intense flavors. And while I have tried to imitate this chicken before, it was watching the process that made me understand what I had done differently in other recipes- the quantity of the seasonings was boggling. The garlic in particular. 11 cloves is serious. However because the chicken is slow roasted at a medium temperature for so long, it really takes the bite out of it and winds up nutty and almost a little sweet.

But it is the sourness of the lemon in combination with the roasted garlic pieces that creates the magic. Oh- the entire cup of olive oil that crisps up the chicken and potatoes doesn’t hurt either!

One more beautiful thing about this dish: It takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and then you have an entire dinner. Delicious.

Greek Chicken and Potatoes
1 whole chicken
2 lemons
11 garlic c loves, minced
2 Tbs dried greek oregano
1 cup olive oil
6 medium Yukon gold potatoes
Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Trim the tips of the chicken wings and any extra fat. Split the chicken in half with a sharp chefs knife, and place both halves, bones down, on a sheet pan.

Squeeze all of the juice of one lemon on the chicken. Rub the halves on both sides of the chicken. Pour ¼ cup of olive oil.

Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper and half of the oregano. Add about 5 cloves of the garlic to the chicken.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Place in a bowl.

Add the remaining olive oil, oregano, lemon juice and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and toss the potatoes with everything until well coated.

Pour the potatoes out onto the sheet pan with the chicken and all of the sauce.

Roast the chicken at 350 degrees for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until the chicken and potatoes are golden and crispy.

Serve the chicken and potatoes with the extra sauce poured over, and fresh lemon wedges. (Be sure to scrape up all of the browned up bits- those are the very best parts!)

I Love Naked Burritos!

pamsteinke — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 05:29:32 +0000

In Vegas, we had 3 Mexican Chain Almost-”Fast Food” restaurants. Qdoba, Zaba’s, and Chipotle…all of them have some version of a “Naked Burrito”. Basically all the goodies of a burrito with out all the flour tortilla. I get hungry for naked burritos! So I made them for dinner tonight.

I start with a lime-cilantro brown rice. I make the lime cilantro rice by a combo of 2.5 cups chicken broth and 2.5 cups water with a squeeze of juice from half of lime. Bring that to a boil and dump in 2 cups of brown rice. Bring back to a boil, cover, and turn down to a simmer for 45 minutes. After the 45 minutes I put the pan on the back burner so it can finish absorbing the liquid and cool a bit. Then I dump the rice into a large bowl, squeeze the lime juice from the 2 halves. I also chop a bunch of cilantro and slice a bunch of green onions. This can also be made with beef and/or shrimp.

To the rice mixture I add 2 cans of rinsed and drained black beans and either 2 cans of drained white meat chicken or a few cooked and chopped chicken breasts.

Now you get your bowl and fill it 2/3 with the rice mixture and add pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream, guac, to taste…whatever you would like…YUMMO! I made a ton so I could feed the family but also have some for lunch a couple of days.

Cameron’s Birthday Cake

pamsteinke — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 02:52:45 +0000

This is the cake I am making for Cam’s Birthday. I will replace this picture with one of my own once I make it.

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food

cake mix

1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate

pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup warm water

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
3.	Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

pamsteinke — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:23:06 +0000

16 oz. Farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt (I do a spoonful of crushed garlic)
1 Tbsp. pepper
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice

Directions:

Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred (I pull it apart). Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

WOW – THIS IS FREAKIN GOOD! And after making and eating it I can see so many other applications with the “alfredo” sauce. I’ve tried making alfredo sauce in the past without much luck and this one couldn’t be easier!!

Potato Kielbasa Bake by Rachael Ray

pamsteinke — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:32:31 +0000

Potato Kielbasa Bake

Ingredients

2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
1 pound kielbasa (Polish sausage), cut on an angle into 1-inch pieces
1 pound frozen, diced hash brown potatoes, defrosted
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups homemade chicken stock
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons yellow mustard

2 cups refrigerated sauerkraut
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Yields: 6 to 8 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO. Cook kielbasa until brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the hash brown potatoes into the same pan with the sausage drippings and cook until brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes.

While the hash browns are crisping, place a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO. Add the onions, garlic, salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook until tender, 5-6 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients in the pan and cook for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the chicken stock, milk and mustard. Bring the gravy up to a bubble, then reduce the heat and add the sauerkraut. Cook until the gravy has thickened and the sauerkraut is heated through, 3-4 minutes.

Stir the reserved kielbasa into the gravy and sauerkraut, and transfer the mixture to a 9×13” casserole dish. Top with the hash brown potatoes and a sprinkling of shredded cheese. Dot the top of the casserole with the butter then transfer to oven and cook until the cheese has melted.

Oven-Baked Risotto

pamsteinke — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:27:48 +0000

Oven-Baked Risotto

Rated:

Submitted By: Campbell’s Kitchen

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 45 Minutes

Ready In: 1 Hour

Servings: 6

“This simple-to-prepare, oven-baked risotto gets a wonderfully smooth and creamy flavor from cream of mushroom soup, Parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.”

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked Arborio or regular long

-grain white rice

1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell’s®

Condensed Cream of Mushroom with

Roasted Garlic Soup

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup milk

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons drained chopped sun-dried

tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1.	Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stir the rice, soup, water, milk, cheese and tomatoes in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Cover the baking dish.
2.	Bake for 30 minutes. Stir the rice mixture.
3.	Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the rice is tender. Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Italian Beef

pamsteinke — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:25:58 +0000

Ingredients:

1 envelope of Onion Soup Mix and 1 Cup of water OR 2 cans Condensed French Onion Soup
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon parsley
1 2-3 pound chuck roast

Dump all the ingredients in a crock pot on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 hours.

Shred meat and serve on your choice of buns or rolls.