Saturday, February 25, 2012

Chicken Vegetable Soup




Ingredients:

·        2-3 large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, chopped into bite size pieces
·        1 large yellow onion, peeled & sliced
·        1-2 large carrots, peeled & sliced
·        2 celery stalks, chopped
·        4-5 medium red potatoes, chopped
·        1-2 zucchini, sliced
·        1-2 yellow crookneck squash, sliced
·        1 cup frozen corn
·        1 can kidney beans, drained (optional)
·        1 can stewed tomatoes
·        bay leaf/salt/pepper/chili powder to taste


Preparation 
1.   Place chicken, onion, celery, salt and pepper in a 10 quart stock pot.  Fill pot with water until ingredients are fully covered and bring to a boil.  Let simmer for 1/2 hour or until chicken is tender.

2.   Add the rest of ingredients to pot and increase temperature to medium heat.  Be sure to add additional water if ingredients are not fully covered (you can also add a can of chicken stock if you prefer not to use your own seasonings).  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes.

Note:  After cooling, this soup freezes well. 

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Superbowl Sunday

For superbowl Sunday I made several things for my honey to snack on while yelling at the players on television.  It was a sad day for us Patriots fans, but at least our bellies were full!  And these little football trays were begging to be used! ;)


I've listed each dish individually here on my blog.  Click on the dish name to go directly to the recipe or just scroll down the blog.  I made:








See how cute!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Pulled Beef Sandwiches



Number of hours cooking - 4-6 hours. Number of ingredients needed - 6 common ingredients. Number of pots/pans to cook in and clean - 1 slow cooker. Having an amazingly delicious dish on any day with little effort ... priceless!

Simply take a beef chuck roast, some garlic, dried rosemary, bay leaves, soy sauce and water and place it in a crockpot. Let it cook on medium for 4-6 hours or even longer. In fact, the longer, the better! The result is a super flavorful, extremely moist and juicy beef roast that falls apart. I shredded the beef (which was easy as it was falling apart) and placed it in between a toasted hamburger bun, then topped it with slices of provolone cheese. The au jus that develops is just as amazing and makes for a great thing to dip your sandwich into. It was one of the best sandwiches I've had in awhile and I'll definitely plan on making this again soon. This can also be made as a freezer meal!
Place roast in slow cooker. Season with garlic, rosemary, and bay leaves. Pour in soy sauce and water. Cook on medium setting for 4 to 6 hours.  
* 4 pounds beef chuck roast
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
* 3 bay leaves
* 1 cup soy sauce
* 6 cups water






To serve, place in hamburger buns or split french bread and top with your preferred cheese if desired. Feel free to dip your sandwich in the au jus left in the slow cooker too!

* To make ahead/freezer meal
- Place all the ingredients except the water into a gallon sized freezer storage bag; seal and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost completely. Place contents into your slow cooker and add 6 cups of water. Cook on medium setting for 4 to 6 hours.



Spinach Dip

I got this recipe from make dinner easy and made it in my little fondue pot, which kept it nice and warm and gooey. :)

Slow Cooker
Fresh Spinach Dip

* 1 (8 ounce) bag of fresh baby spinach leaves
* 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into cubes
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 clove garlic, minced

1. Wash and drain spinach. Finely chop the spinach and place in a slow cooker.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir. It will look rather dry, but as it cooks the cheese melts and cooks the spinach.
3. In my fondue pot, I let this sit on low.  If cooking in a crockpot, cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally
4. Serve with pita chips and/or french bread

Deviled Eggs



I’ve never had a recipe written down. I usually just add the ingredients bit by bit until it tastes right.
  • 12 eggs, hard cooked and peeled
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon yellow or Dijon mustard (or more depending on your taste)
  • 1 tablespoon relish (my fiancé prefers sweet relish, I prefer regular)
  • pinch of salt
  • fresh ground black pepper (optional)
  • paprika (optional)
After boiling, cooling, peeling, cut eggs in half (the long way helps them stand versus rolling around).  Remove yolks and put in a small mixing bowl.  Arrange egg whites cut side up on a serving plate (I have a cute little egg tray that I adore, you can get one for $7 at crate and barrel). Mash yolks with fork then stir in mayonnaise, mustard, and relish. Mash and stir all ingredients together well. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Spoon a little bit of the mixture into each egg white half, dividing mixture as evenly as possible between the eggs.  Sprinkle eggs with paprika if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 24 deviled eggs


Eggrolls

These go great with a stir-fry or as a finger food for a party.
Ingredients:
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 scallions, sliced thinly
  • Half a head of green cabbage (or 1/4th green and 1/4th purple cabbage), shredded
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 package of eggroll wrappers, I use Nasoya: 
Directions:
In a wok or skillet, stir-fry the scallion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of oil until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cabbage, carrots, and stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes.  Add the soy sauce and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft.  Strain and cool for at least 15 minutes.
Fill and roll the egg roll wrappers, using 1 tablespoon of filling for each roll. Working with 1 wrapper at a time, place the wrapper with one corner of the diamond closest to you. Wet the edges with water.  Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Roll the corner closest to you over the filling. Brush the top corner with water. Fold in the sides and continue rolling the egg roll up until it is closed. Press to seal, set aside, and continue with the remaining ingredients.



In a wok set over moderately high heat, heat the remaining oil and saute the egg rolls until golden brown on all sides, using tongs to turn them.

 Serve when cool enough to eat, with soy or dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce:





Baked Subs


I obtained this recipe from make dinner easy and they are pretty good!
Great for a picnic or ball game! I will make them again but I'll substitute the provolone for a different cheese next time. Here is the recipe from the website:

Recipe Background

This Baked Sub Sandwich recipe is an easy way to make restaurant style hot submarine sandwiches for a few people or a crowd. You can even make these up to 8 hours in advance if you're careful to pour the dressing only on the meat and cheese (don't let it get on the bread or the bread will get soggy!) These are great to serve when watching a football game on TV, or when you're having a bunch of hungry kids over. They also travel well if you're going on a picnic.

Baked Sub Sandwiches

Dressing:
* 2 Tablespoons light olive oil
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
Sandwich:
* 4 Hoagie or sub sandwich rolls
* 8 slices provolone cheese
* 8 slices thinly sliced deli turkey
* 1/2 pound shaved deli ham
* 1 small tomoato thinly sliced (blot dry with a paper towel)
* 1-2 slices thinly sliced red onions

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or cup and set aside. Tear 4 sheets of aluminum foil about 14" long. For each sandwich, open up a hoagie roll and place the roll on a sheet of aluminum foil. Place 2 slices of cheese, 2 slices of sliced turkey, 1/4 of the ham, a few slices of tomato and onion inside the roll, covering the inner surface of the roll. Pour 1-2 teaspoons of the dressing over the meat and tomatoes trying not to get any dressing on the bread (it will make the bread soggy). Wrap and seal foil around sandwich. Bake at 350'F for 15-20 minutes.

Serves 4

Potato Salad

Ingredients:
·         Red potatoes, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, cut in wedges
·         4 eggs
·         2 stalks thinly sliced celery
·         1 onion, finely chopped
·         2 tablespoons relish
·         3/4 cup mayonnaise
·         ¼ cup mustard
·         Salt and pepper to taste
·         1 to 2 Tbs chopped green onions and/or 1 tsp. paprika (optional garnish)
Preparation:
After scrubbing the potatoes and removing any rough spots, I boil them with the eggs in a pot until potatoes are soft (I leave the skin on after scrubbing them).  Once cooled, shell and chop eggs.  Put eggs and potatoes in a large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine well.  Cover; chill for 2 or more hours for best flavor. Garnish with chopped green onion and/or paprika or even tomato wedges if desired.