Pot Roast in the Crock Pot - Take II
I am in love love love with the crock pot. Last night I was in charge of bringing a main dish to my girl's dinner party. The girls are amazing in the kitchen and the bar is set high every meal with a new delicious main dish. Since I've been working from home, I thought a crock pot meal would make sense since I can set it in the morning and forget while I plug away at work. I found this recipe on a number of different websites and postings. It was a big hit last night.
1 pot roast (mine was 4 lbs)
1 envelope of Lipton's onion dip/soup
1 12 oz can of Coke (regular)
3 tbls ketchup (I added this)
salt and pepper
Lightly salt and pepper the roast and place in crock pot. Pour in onion package, soda and ketchup. Stir around and set on low all day. I had it in there for about 9 hours.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
This dish is really easy and very yummy. If you double it up, it would be a great thing to bring to pot lucks. You can also customize this dish with adding different veggies, cheese and spices.
I derived this recipe from www.chefandphotographer.blogspot.com.
1 egg
3/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 cup non fat or low fat milk
1/2 red and 1/2 yellow bell peppers diced (while the water boils saute with olive oil for a few minutes to soften up)
1 pinch of Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 cups (8 oz) grated cheese- you can use all cheddar or your favorite cheese or a combination whatever you have on hand
4 1/2 cups elbow noodles cooked
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tbs melted butter or olive oil
pinch of salt, pepper, and paprika
Pre heat the oven to 350. While you boil the water and cook the pasta, in a bowl mix the egg through the ground pepper until mixed. Add in the cheese and mix, then fold in the cooked noodles. Spread into a greased 9x9 casserole pan and pat down to evenly fill the pan. In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, butter and salt, pepper, and paprika. Sprinkle over the pasta and cover the pan with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
I derived this recipe from www.chefandphotographer.blogspot.com.
1 egg
3/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 cup non fat or low fat milk
1/2 red and 1/2 yellow bell peppers diced (while the water boils saute with olive oil for a few minutes to soften up)
1 pinch of Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 cups (8 oz) grated cheese- you can use all cheddar or your favorite cheese or a combination whatever you have on hand
4 1/2 cups elbow noodles cooked
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tbs melted butter or olive oil
pinch of salt, pepper, and paprika
Pre heat the oven to 350. While you boil the water and cook the pasta, in a bowl mix the egg through the ground pepper until mixed. Add in the cheese and mix, then fold in the cooked noodles. Spread into a greased 9x9 casserole pan and pat down to evenly fill the pan. In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, butter and salt, pepper, and paprika. Sprinkle over the pasta and cover the pan with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Coconut Cream Pie
Another lovely evening in the Valley with Shiri, Mark and dogs. I love bringing dessert to dinner and I think everyone knows it. So when I ask, what should we bring? I'm really saying, I'll bring dessert. I have been determined to make a coconut cream pie. I tried it a couple of months ago and I must have done something very wrong, because the cream did not thicken. It has been haunting me ever since. Last night --- victory! I produced a yummy - can I have thirds? cream pie. I did learn a very important lesson during the baking process. I do not make crusts. I took a class at William Sonoma on how to make pie crusts. You think that would have helped - no! Brian said my crust tasted like poop. It looked just as bad too (had cocoa powder in it). For $3 I got two frozen pie crusts that were good. Obviously not as good as homemade, but way way better than my homemade.
I can't remember which blog/Internet I found this recipe. My apologies for not giving credit where credit is due.
Coconut Filling: Adapted from the Tom Douglas’ Seattle Kitchen cookbook
For the coconut pastry cream:
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
Whip Cream
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened coconut toasted for topping (400 degree oven, put coconut on cookie sheet and watch! Should only take a few minutes to toast up).
*The pie crust can be made a day ahead of time and stored at room temperate.
For the coconut pastry cream:
Combine the milk and coconut in a medium saucepan. Add the vanilla extract to the milk mixture. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until the mixture almost comes to a boil.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour until well combined. Temper the eggs (to keep them from scrambling) by pouring about 1/3 cup of the scalded milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Then add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan of milk and coconut. Whisk over medium-high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes more.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter and whisk until it melts. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over a bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until it is cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until completely cold. The pastry cream will thicken as it cools. When the pastry cream is cold, fill the prebaked pie shell with it, smoothing the surface.
Top with whip cream and sprinkle toasted coconut.
I can't remember which blog/Internet I found this recipe. My apologies for not giving credit where credit is due.
Coconut Filling: Adapted from the Tom Douglas’ Seattle Kitchen cookbook
For the coconut pastry cream:
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
Whip Cream
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened coconut toasted for topping (400 degree oven, put coconut on cookie sheet and watch! Should only take a few minutes to toast up).
*The pie crust can be made a day ahead of time and stored at room temperate.
For the coconut pastry cream:
Combine the milk and coconut in a medium saucepan. Add the vanilla extract to the milk mixture. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until the mixture almost comes to a boil.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour until well combined. Temper the eggs (to keep them from scrambling) by pouring about 1/3 cup of the scalded milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Then add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan of milk and coconut. Whisk over medium-high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes more.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter and whisk until it melts. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over a bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until it is cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until completely cold. The pastry cream will thicken as it cools. When the pastry cream is cold, fill the prebaked pie shell with it, smoothing the surface.
Top with whip cream and sprinkle toasted coconut.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Cheese Tortellini with Mushroom Sauce
I love the Food Network. It combines two of my favorite things - tv and food. Another wonderful combination will be next week's Glee and songs from Madonna. I can hardly wait! Back to food. In last month's Food Network Magazine, I found a recipe from Chef Anne Burrell that looked very labor and time intensive - Ricotta-Taleggio Ravioli with Wild Mushroom Sauce. Hmmmm, looks good, but how can I make this Weeknight friendly?
Instead of making the ravioli from scratch (yeah right) I bought cheese tortellinis from Trader Joes. While the water boiled, I made the sauce. Brian is not usually a fan of tomato-less pasta sauces, but this one he LOVED. I made some changes to it, so if you are a true purest check out the real recipe on the food network website.
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1 cup diced pancetta (used the entire package of diced pancetta from trader joes)
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup each mushrooms sliced (Anne uses fancy wild mushrooms, but we are on a budget)
Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Drizzle olive oil into a large deep pan. Add the pancetta and garlic and place over medium-high heat. When the garlic is light brown and fragrant, discard it. When the pancetta is crisp, add the mushrooms, season with salt and saute until the mushrooms are soft and wilted, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, add green onions, season with salt and cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Add the butter and cook, shaking the pan, until the sauce thickens and looks velvety. Season with salt, if necessary.
Add cooked pasta to sauce and serve with cheese.
Instead of making the ravioli from scratch (yeah right) I bought cheese tortellinis from Trader Joes. While the water boiled, I made the sauce. Brian is not usually a fan of tomato-less pasta sauces, but this one he LOVED. I made some changes to it, so if you are a true purest check out the real recipe on the food network website.
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1 cup diced pancetta (used the entire package of diced pancetta from trader joes)
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup each mushrooms sliced (Anne uses fancy wild mushrooms, but we are on a budget)
Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Drizzle olive oil into a large deep pan. Add the pancetta and garlic and place over medium-high heat. When the garlic is light brown and fragrant, discard it. When the pancetta is crisp, add the mushrooms, season with salt and saute until the mushrooms are soft and wilted, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, add green onions, season with salt and cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Add the butter and cook, shaking the pan, until the sauce thickens and looks velvety. Season with salt, if necessary.
Add cooked pasta to sauce and serve with cheese.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Tamale Casserole
I got this recipe off of ...and a cookie for dessert blog. I love that blog and have found some great and easy weeknight meals from there. Brooke got this recipe from another blog that referenced it from a Cooking Light recipe. Did you follow that? Now I am sharing it with you because IT IS AMAZING and super EASY!!!! Brian and I ended up using left over carnitas instead of the chicken. I think you can use shredded beef, pork or chicken for this.
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4 ounce) can cream style corn
1 (8.5 ounce) box corn muffin mix
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
cooking spray
1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4 ounce) can cream style corn
1 (8.5 ounce) box corn muffin mix
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
cooking spray
1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Coconut Macaroons
I went to an Under the Sea themed dinner last Saturday night and needed to bring a dessert that kept the theme. Coconut Macaroons!!! Here's what I like about these...you can get creative. I made one batch, but separated it into two bowls. In one bowl I put orange zest and in the other lime zest with a tablespoon of rum. Maybe next time I'll put in cocoa powder or chocolate chips. The possibilities are endless.
1 stick of room temperature butter
3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs room temperature
6 cups of sweetened coconuts flakes
Your added flavor here
Preheat oven to 325
In an electric mixer beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Then add eggs one at a time. Mix in coconut and then flavor.
Scoop heaping tablespoons onto a lined cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops get golden brown.
1 stick of room temperature butter
3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs room temperature
6 cups of sweetened coconuts flakes
Your added flavor here
Preheat oven to 325
In an electric mixer beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Then add eggs one at a time. Mix in coconut and then flavor.
Scoop heaping tablespoons onto a lined cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops get golden brown.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Pineapple Mustard Chicken in the Crock Pot
For the Chicken
6 oz can of Pineapple Juice
6 oz of water (fill can of pineapple juice up with water)
2 tbl yellow mustard
1 tsp pepper
2 tbl brown sugar
2 chicken breasts
For the topping:
1/2 diced red pepper
1 to 2 diced jalapeno
1/2 can black beans
diced pineapple (fresh or canned)
Add all ingredients for chicken and cook chicken on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours in the crock pot.
Mix all topping ingredients in a separate bowl.
Serve chicken on top of white rice. Serve with topping.
6 oz can of Pineapple Juice
6 oz of water (fill can of pineapple juice up with water)
2 tbl yellow mustard
1 tsp pepper
2 tbl brown sugar
2 chicken breasts
For the topping:
1/2 diced red pepper
1 to 2 diced jalapeno
1/2 can black beans
diced pineapple (fresh or canned)
Add all ingredients for chicken and cook chicken on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours in the crock pot.
Mix all topping ingredients in a separate bowl.
Serve chicken on top of white rice. Serve with topping.
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