Tag Archives: quick

What a Crock (Pot Roast)

Posted on November 13, 2011 | 3 Comments

As you all know, Jeff and I are expecting our first little one in about a month, so I have been scouring the internet for all kinds of easy recipes.  The other day I stumbled (literally…using stumbleupon.com) on a recipe that sounded really good!  Since I was off Friday, I decided to test it out.

This is a quick, simple recipe you can easily throw together in the morning and let simmer all day!  It’s especially good as leftovers, so go ahead and use up that big cut of roast you got on sale the other day.

Marie’s Best Ever Pot Roast

2-5 pound pot roast (any kind)
1 envelope dried ranch dressing mix
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1 envelope brown gravy mix
Desired veg (She used potatoes and carrots, I added sweet potatoes)
1 to 1.5 cups water

Spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or use Reynold’s Slow Cooker Liners.  Trust me…it makes clean up so much easier!  Chop your veg into big chunks and place them in the bottom of the pan.

Top your veg with the roast and cover with packets of seasonings and water.  *Last time I didn’t mix the seasonings and water together, but I will the next time I make this.  I found chunks of seasoning on certain parts of the roast and it was just a little overstimulating.  I think mixing all the seasonings and the water together would help distribute the flavors.

Cook on low for 6 hours or until the meat falls apart.

I just picked out what I wanted to eat instead of plating a whole meal (Jeff had already eaten), but if I were to serve this to guests I would probably lift out the meat and veg and place on a serving dish.  Then, I would strain the liquids from the bottom of the pan and turn it into a gravy.  (You can do this easily by combining a tbsp of cornstarch to about 1/2 cup water and whisking it together to remove lumps.  Then add the mixture to the sauce.  Heat the sauce over medium heat while whisking until the gravy is as thick as you’d like.)

One other tip I have for you (and I wish I had taken a picture) is the sandwich I made with the leftovers yesterday!  I had picked up a salted bagel from Dorothy Lane Market, so I turned the bagel into a pot roast sammie.  I cut the bagel in half, topped it with the meat, some worchestershire and provolone, and warmed it in the microwave to melt the cheese.  It was so good!  I think next time I’ll try it with A1 sauce though.  Or horseradish sauce…mmmm…

So, if you’re looking for a quick, easy, crock pot recipe, this one has tons of flavor!  Plus think of all the things you can use the leftover meat for!  Enjoy!

 

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From Russia, With Love

Posted on October 26, 2011 | 7 Comments

When you see a super thin piece of beef, what is the first meal you think of?  Some people think of steak tacos, some think of beef stir fry.  Me?  I think of one thing:

the Russian originated Beef Stroganoff.

Beef stroganoff is one of my favorite weeknight meals to make because it is simple and easy.  It’s also one of those meals you can prep ahead of time and throw together quickly at the end of a long day.  I tend to make a double batch of sauce so I stretch my buck even further and get two, two, two meals out of one!

Yesterday at the store, I found a super thin piece of beef marked down to $3.82.  It was going to expire on 10/27, so I popped that baby into my cart and earmarked it for tonight’s dinner.  Because I was able to get two meals out of the one piece of beef, I was able to make that $3.82 stretch waaaaaaaay out!  Love it!

Apparently, Beef Stroganoff is one of those meals you can also make in the crock pot.  Well, I must have done something wrong last time I tried this because my husband said the recipe was so bad he couldn’t even choke it down!  Take it from me (and Paula Deen)…this recipe is so quick and easy, it takes no time to throw it together.  Trust me.  Would I lie?

Beef Stroganoff
(adapted from Mrs. Paula Deen herself)

3/4 pound thinly sliced beef, cut into bite sized chunks
Steak Seasoning
Flour
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp butter, divided
1 small onion, finely diced
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped (optional)
1 10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 can-full beef broth (see below)
Salt & pepper to taste
4 oz cream cheese
1 pound egg noodles*

In a large skillet over medium high heat, warm 1 tbsp each of the olive oil and butter.  While the skillet is preheating, cut up your beef.

Season liberally with the steak seasoning (I used my favorite grill seasoning from Dorothy Lane Market.  If you live in the area and haven’t tried it, you are seriously missing out!)

Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat.

Shake off any excess flour and place in the skillet.  Brown on both sides.  Once the meat is browned, remove and drain on a paper towel.

Add the second tbsp of olive oil and butter and then add the onions.  This is also the time you add the mushrooms if you desire.  I desired.  Jeff did not.  Guess who won that debate.  (Let’s be honest…he’s just lucky I didn’t have any mushrooms in the house.)

Once the onions are nice and soft, add a tbsp of flour and mix in.  Add your cream of mushroom soup and then fill up the empty can with beef broth and dump that in.  Mix well and bring to a boil.  Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to low and let simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your egg noodles to the package directions. Once cooked, drain and return to the stock pot.  I try to plan my noodles to be done around the same time as the sauce so they don’t sit in the hot pot too long as they can start bonding to the pot itself.

After your sauce has simmered for 30 minutes, add in your cream cheese and stir to combine.  I let my cream cheese sit in the sauce for a few minutes to soften up and then I stir it.  Honestly, the whipped cream cheese would probably work better for this recipe.

Once your sauce is finished, add it to the drained noodles and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

I love beef stroganoff.  I honestly think it’s one of our favorite meals!  It’s definitely comfort food at it’s best.  And Peanut liked it too.  That or he just likes kneeing me a lot!  One thing’s for sure…I love my new camera!

*This recipe is a full recipe that would feed 4 people easily.  For the two of us, I save half the sauce and only make 1/2 a pound of egg noodles, saving the rest for when I make the second half of the recipe.

To view this recipe in an easy to follow format, click here!

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Freezer Meals: Chicken Enchiladas Two Ways

Posted on October 13, 2011 | 4 Comments

You may remember when I did my Marathon Cooking session a few weeks ago.  Well, yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to discover I had been scheduled off for today!  Technically, I’m still on vacation.  So what does that mean?  Cooking, cleaning, and staying in my pjs all day of course!

I made several dishes during my Marathon Cooking session and unfortunately some of them did not turn out as delicious as I had hoped.  This taught me a valuable lesson:  only make bulk dishes to freeze out of meals you already know you like!

Learning this, I decided to make three meals in big batches:  “Cheater” Lasagna, Buffalo Chicken casserole, and Chicken Enchiladas.  I’ll post the lasagna and the buffalo chicken recipes at a later date, but today we are going to focus on the Chicken Enchiladas.  I came up with two different ways of making this dish.  The main recipe is the same, but the construction of the dishes are a little different.

Chicken Enchiladas
The Basic Recipe (makes enough for 2-3 people):

1 chicken breast, poached & diced
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1/2 can refried beans
1/3 can enchilada sauce
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

To start, bring a pot of water to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and poach your chicken in the liquid for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove from liquid and let cool.  Once it’s cool enough to handle, dice it into small pieces.

While your chicken is cooking, make your rice.  I used my Cuisinart rice cooker to make this rice.  Typically when you make rice, you use a 1:2 ratio.  I used one cup of rice to two cups of water plus a pinch of salt for flavor.  With my rice cooker, I just add the ingredients and flip the switch to “cook”.  Once it’s done, it switches to “warm” and lets me continue what I’m doing until I need the rice.  Just follow the directions on your bag of rice to ensure it turns out perfectly.

Once the chicken and rice are cooked and ready to go, add them to a big bowl along with your salsa, beans, cheese, and enchilada sauce (just to help the beans incorporate into the dish).

This is where you can get creative!  Add whatever kinds of Mexican-y things you like!  Corn, black beans, cilantro, green chiles, you name it!  Jeff is a simple man and is not a big fan of veggies in his enchiladas so I left them out.  I figure I can make a nice little Mexican side salad the night we eat this so I get all the yummy veggie nutrients.

That’s your basic recipe.  Here are two ways to use this filling to create a couple yummy dishes:

Method One:
Mexican Rollups

1/3 cup enchilada sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 burrito sized tortilla shells

Since I am freezing my meals, I opted to use foil 8×8 cake pans.  We are just two people, so typically I only want to make a small portion.  If you have a bigger family, you can double the above recipe and use a 13×9 dish.  It’s totally up to you.  I sprayed my pan to ensure no sticking and then started rolling.

Take a burrito sized tortilla shell, add about a 1/3 cup of filling towards the bottom of the shell, tuck the bottom of the shell over the filling, fold in the sides and roll the remaining of the way up.  (Yes, I realize I should have taken pictures of this, but I didn’t think I would be doing a blog post about these meals.  Hey, when inspiration strikes…)

Line your rolled enchiladas in the pan, top with enchilada sauce and the cheddar cheese.  Cover with foil and freeze.  I decided to turn up the collar of the pan just to provide a little extra holding power for the sauce.

Method Two:
Enchilada Lasagna

With this method, you just want to create layers in the dish.  I put one tortilla in the bottom of the pan, added 1/2 the filling,


topped with a second tortilla, some of the enchilada sauce, the remainder of the filling, a third tortilla, and the remainder of the sauce. Just use your judgement as to how much sauce you want to use.  Obviously you don’t want the sauce to be overflowing, but you want enough for the tortillas to soak up while cooking.  Finally, finish with the cheese.  Cover and freeze.

One thing I decided for my last tortilla layer was to cut the tortillas to fit.  I would have done this for the whole dish, but again I wasn’t thinking ahead.  To do this, just lay your tortillas in the pan and cut the excess off the sides like so:

When you are ready to serve either dish, you can preheat the oven to 400º and bake for about an hour (or until the meal is heated through) or you can thaw it overnight in the fridge and shorten the cooking time to about 30 minutes.  My husband is funny.  When he decides he’s hungry, he’s hungry now.  I think his hunger cues are off because it’s almost like when he realizes he’s hungry, he has to eat then or he’ll faint from starvation!  He also likes to eat around 6p (apparently he’s in his 60s), but I don’t get home until 5:30p at the earliest.  For this reason, I have to try to plan things well in advance.  This is why thawing the dish ahead of time is better for us.

So there you go.  Two freezer meals that are simple, delicious, and crowd pleasers!  Hope you like them!

 

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Break FAST

Posted on April 13, 2011 | 5 Comments

While I was visiting my dad’s side of the family for Christmas this year, my cousin Melissa told me about a dish she eats quite often for breakfast.  Quick, easy, FAST.  Sounded like the perfect breakfast for me as I’m always running a cool 5 minutes behind in the morning.

She told me about egg cups, which are pretty much exactly what they sound like:  cups filled with frozen eggs, cheese, and other various fixins.

It took me a long time to try them, but today was the day!  I am off work today and tomorrow so utilizing my time is a must!

I opted to use onions, turkey bacon, and asiago cheese today, but the varieties are endless!  Turkey sausage, cheddar cheese, sundried tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, spinach, ham, red pepper…just to name a few. Anything you’d have in an omelet is perfect here!

They are so simple.  You just mix, pour, bake, cool, and freeze!  Yes, please!

Egg Cups
(adapted from onceamonthmom.com)

4 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1 tbsp milk
1 onion, diced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic gold nuggets in oil
5 slices turkey bacon, crisped
1/2 cup asiago cheese, shredded
3 slices whole wheat bread, quartered
salt, pepper, other herbs and spices to taste

Begin by preheating your oven to 450°.
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Saute your onions until soft and slightly browned.  I added a bit of garlic gold nuggets here just because I can.  I’m a garlic lover after all.  Once browned, remove from pan and cook the turkey bacon in the same pan until crisp.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Once drained, chop up relatively small. In a medium bowl, wisk together the eggs, egg whites, and milk until well incorporated.  Add the onions, turkey bacon, and asiago cheese and wisk together.  At this point, you can add any spices you like.  I used salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.  We like things spicy around these here parts.  Once everything is good and mixed up, pour evenly into silicone lined (or cooking sprayed) muffin tins.  Bake at 450 for 12 minutes or until eggs are set.

You can either eat them right away or freeze for grab and go breakfasts.  Once A Month Mom suggests defrosting the cups overnight in the fridge and then reheating on 50% power for 90 seconds.  I have a feeling you could defrost them in the microwave on 30% power for a few minutes and then heat through after slightly defrosted.  I’ll have to play around with it and let you know.

Bonus Round!  I have found many people don’t really know how to cut an onion quickly and efficiently.  Today, because I love you, I have explained the process.  Enjoy!

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Salad Zinger

Posted on April 9, 2011 | 3 Comments

Lately, I have found myself eating a lot of salads. One of my favorite salads to eat is romaine topped with cranberries, pistachios, and grilled chicken. I typically use a light ranch or something like that, but I’m trying to eat less creamy dressings and instead reaching for more vinegar based dressings.

Yesterday, I used Ken’s Steak House Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette. It was good, but a bit too sweet for my liking. Then I realized what was missing…cheese! Bleu cheese to be exact. I don’t love bleu cheese, so I don’t keep it in the house that often, but it would have been a yummy addition.

Instead, I decided Parmesan cheese would have worked great too.  That reminded me of something the food network talent is always making…Parmesan crisps!  They are a great addition to most anything from salads to mashed potatoes to steak!  Very versatile, they could even be a “cracker” of sorts.

First, you preheat your oven.  Then, if you haven’t already, chunk up a block of Parmesan and grind it with the regular blade in your food processor until small, fluffy pieces.  If you don’t have a food processor, you can always use a hand or box grater…it will just take you a little longer.

Next, on a silpat (or cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray), spread the Parmesan in 1 tbsp mounds around the pan.  Try to flatten out the mounds a bit so they can get gold and bubbly.

Top with whatever you like.  I did black pepper, Garlic Gold nuggets, and smoked paprika on mine.

Bake until nice and golden.

Play with kitties in the morning sun.

Remove from the oven and let cool, then serve or store in between paper towels in a zip top bag.  I’m not sure how long they are good for as I tend to gobble them up quite fast.  I’m guessing they would be OK for a day or two, but much longer would be pushing it.

Parmesan Crisps
6 tbsp Parmesan Cheese, grated
Black Pepper
Garlic Gold nuggets
Smoked Paprika

Preheat oven to 400º.  Spread tablespoons of Parmesan in even layers around on a silpat lined or cooking spray prepped cookie sheet.  Bake until golden brown (about 5 minutes).  Keep your eye on the cheese so you don’t burn it.  Remove from the oven when baked and let cool.  Crumble over salads, mashed potatoes, or anything else that could use a little zing!

What are your favorite salad fixins?

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Tortellini with Peas and Pancetta

Posted on December 1, 2010 | 2 Comments

Who wants a quick, easy, delicious meal that you can throw together in less than 30 minutes?

I DO!  I DO!

I saw this article in Food Network Magazine and it had some of my favorite things in it.  Garlic, Parmesan, pasta, cream half and half.  Yum!  I whipped this up in no time last night!  Try it.  You’ll like it!

Tortellini with Peas and Pancetta
(inspired by Food Network Magazine‘s April 2010 issue)

1 pound meat filled tortellini
2 tbsp olive oil
3 ounces pancetta, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup Le Seur peas, drained
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Once it reaches a boil, salt the water and cook the tortellini according to the package’s instructions.

In another saucepan over medium heat, warm up your oil and start to brown your pancetta.  You want the pancetta to be nice and crispy.  It will take about 5 minutes.

Grate in your garlic…

keep your tortellini from boiling over…

and add the tomato paste.  Stir to combine and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).

Add about a cup of pasta water and simmer until reduced by half (3-4 minutes).

Add the half and half.  Simmer until slightly thickened (2-3 minutes).

Add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes for good measure.  You know how we do in the Desjarlais house.

A few minutes before the tortellini is done, add your peas to the water.  You want to warm them up so you don’t bite into a cold pea in your warm pasta.  (The original recipe called for frozen peas, so this step would be doubly important if you’re using frozen.)

Drain the peas and pasta and add to the sauce.  Toss to coat.

Top with parmesan cheese and serve with toasty warm croissants (optional).

Easy, peasy, Japanese-y! (This meal literally came together by the time I had heated up the oven and cooked the croissants.  It’s that quick.)

What’s your favorite go to meal during the week?

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Puppy Chow

Posted on October 21, 2010 | 4 Comments

The other day I was at the grocery store trying to figure out what exactly I’d like to eat for breakfast.  My standard fare of oatmeal (overnight or otherwise) just wasn’t cutting it anymore.  I’m not sure if I got tired of oats or if pregnancy has something to do with it, but the thought of eating oatmeal makes me kind of sicky feeling.

So there I was, standing in the cereal aisle at Kroger, trying to pick out a cereal that sounded good and wasn’t horrible for me.  My eyes landed on Honey Nut Chex.  OK, so it’s not the best cereal out there, but it’s certainly not the worst!  I grabbed a box and continued on my way.

As I was finishing my grocery shopping, I started to think how great the honey nut Chex would be in puppy chow!  Here’s something you may not know about me:  one of my absolute favorite combinations on earth is chocolate and peanut butter.  I would bath in peanut butter and chocolate if I could.  OK, maybe not, but I could probably make myself sick by eating so much of it.

Puppy chow, for those of you who are unfamiliar, is cereal that is coated with a peanut butter/chocolate mixture and topped with powdered sugar.  Sounds fabulous, I know.  Here’s the recipe I used:

Puppy Chow
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

9 cups Chex cereal
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 regular sized Hershey bars
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a double boiler (a pan of water set to simmer with a glass bowl perched over it), melt your chocolate.  Make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl.

Once your chocolate is melted, add in your peanut butter and stir to combine.

In a big bowl, combine the melted chocolate and peanut butter with the cereal.  Try to coat each piece.

Move the cereal to a zip top bag and dump on the powdered sugar.

Shake to coat.

I like to spread mine out on a cookie sheet just to knock off some of the excess sugar, but today I decided it would be fun to dump part of my treat on myself.

And the floor.

It still turned out fabulous although I would double the peanut butter next time.

Fun little tip:  if your niece comes over, who is already hyper mind you, this treat may not be the best snack to offer her.  She may start bouncing off the walls uncontrollably!  But then she leaves.  Hee hee hee.

Do you have any favorite childhood treats you still love as an adult?

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Slow Cooker French Dip (with Au Jus)

Posted on October 15, 2010 | 2 Comments

(Leaves being blown off the trees the other night)

Wouldn’t you love to come home to the warm, welcoming smells of dinner, piping hot and ready for you?  I know I do.  I work full time in a retail environment.  This means I am not always home for dinner, leaving my wonderful, yet kitchen challenged husband to fend for himself more often than I would like.  I try to help him out by making casseroles or crock pot meals ahead of time so it seems like I’m home even when I’m not.

I was bumming around on the web the other day and stumbled across this recipe on Tasty Kitchen.  It sounded delightful, so I gave it a go.

Jeff said it was really good!  He loved that I provided some yummy sub rolls and provolone cheese to go with it.  I had intended to have some caramelized onions on the side as well, but I got a little distracted with my computer and they went from golden brown to black in record time.

This recipe was so quick and easy to throw together!  It will definitely be going in my “must make again” pile!

Slow Cooker French Dip (with Au Jus)
(From Tasty Kitchen)

3.5 pounds Beef Chuck Roast
1 can Beef Consumme
1 bottle Beer
2 cubes Beef Bullion
1 package Onion Soup Mix

Sprinkle your beef roast with whatever seasonings you want.  Megan (the recipe’s author) suggested salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.  That sounded good to me!

Place your roast in the crock pot. Combine the consumme and the soup mix.  Pour over the roast.

Add your beer.  The flavor gets concentrated, so pick one you like.  Megan says the darker and richer the beer, the better flavor the au jus has, which I can understand.  I went with Sam Adams’ Octoberfest.

Don’t you love when it bubbles and froths like that?

Finally add in your bullion cubes.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Remove meat and shred with a fork.

Serve with a toasted roll and provolone cheese.

*If I could make one change to this recipe, I would add a tablespoon or two of brown sugar to the mix.  I felt like it needed just a hint of sweetness the mixture didn’t provide.

*Also, after reading the reviews just now, one lady mentioned adding some horseradish mayo to the sub.  Holy goodness, that sounds yummy!  You might want to try that if you have some on hand.  I bet it would be a welcome addition!

Now I’m gonna go make some Puppy Chow.  If you haven’t had it, you must make it.  Do yourself a favor and make sure you have peanut butter, chocolate (chips or bars), powdered sugar, and chex cereal on hand.  Recipe to follow!

And you may be wondering how the patio is coming.  Jeff and I decided to wait and reveal the patio when it is completed.  We are probably about two or three days away from that, though.  Here’s a little tidbit to tide you over…

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Simple Roasted Chicken Breast

Posted on September 14, 2010 | 1 Comment

Roasted chicken is one of those comfort foods I associate with fall.  The smell reminds me of Thanksgiving and evokes visions of pumpkins, red, orange, and yellow leaves, and napping in front of the Browns game.

Roasted chicken is so versatile.  You can change it up however you like, use whatever herbs you have on hand, and add any vegetables to the dish to round out your meal.  It’s one of those things you can throw together after a busy day at work, add some sides, and badabing you’re done.  In a word, it’s perfect!

Simple Roasted Chicken Breast
1 whole chicken breast
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste (or other herbs*)

Preheat your oven to 400*.  Line a sheet pan with a Silpat or spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Put your chicken, top side down, on the sheet pan.  Spread with a little olive oil and rub to coat.  Sprinkle liberally with your desired seasoning.  Flip your breast and repeat on the opposite side.  If you like, you can slice some root vegetables (onion, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc), peppers, lemons, or any other produce you desire and create a “bed” for your chicken to sit on, but it is not required.

Bake at 400* for approximately 20 minutes, or until juices run clear.  Pair the chicken with some quick sides for a simple meal!

*One of my favorite seasonings to use on my meat is Dorothy Lane‘s steak rub.  It is a wonderful blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and many, many other herbs.  If you leave near Dayton, I suggest you try it!  It’s somewhat pricey, but it lasts forever!

(Yes, in case you were wondering, I was kind of a slacker with the camera during this recipe.  My sweetie was hungry and I was cooking as fast as I could!)

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