January 18, 2020

Hello!!!  Another week in the books of 2020.  We are over halfway through the month already.  Wow! Just about 5% through the year; that's a crazy way to think about it.  No need to rush, though, this year should be a good one. 

Two keeper's this week - Cajun Pork Roast and Breakfast Casserole.  Alongside the new pork roast we made mashed potatoes.  Here's a tip: when you add the butter and dairy (milk, half and half, etc), melt the butter first and fold that in before you add the diary. If you add the milk first it will combine with the starch from the potatoes and become "gluey". If you add the butter first it will coat the potatoes and you will end up with a much smoother bowl of mashed potatoes!  My suggestion is that you keep using the recipe for mashed potatoes you know and love, just add the butter first when you incorporate the additional ingredients!  

We did have a flop this week - a new recipe for homemade rolls.  I suppose it is a bit of an exaggeration to call it a flop as the rolls were quite delicious!  The problem is that it was a double rise recipe, and it took over 2 hours each time to get the dough to rise and double!  In the end the recipe took much too long and wasn't worth the effort and it did not earn keeper status.  But we enjoyed 30 rolls for lunches and with dinner during the week!

We did have another flop; we never made it the horse therapy with Finn yesterday!  Such a bummer.  We were expecting snow around the evening rush hour, but right around 4pm the snow arrived and really got going!  We built in a little extra time to get to the therapy but it wasn't enough.  The traffic was crawling, and add to that an accident on the route we take and we just never made it to the barn.  Luckily Finn took it in stride; phew!  Next week, if there is snow again on Friday, we will leave with even more time and be sure to arrive so he can ride.  

It's looking like a busy week ahead so I am not sure if I am going to have time to experiment in the kitchen.  But hopefully I'll be able to carve out a little time - keep your fingers crossed that I do and we find a keeper!

Happy Cooking!

New Recipes
Cajun Pork Roast
Breakfast Casserole

Cajun Pork Roast

Ready to cook!  Look at that rub!

Ready to serve!  Yum!

Ingredients
* 2 lb boneless pork loin roast
* 2 tsp olive oil
* 2 tbsp paprika
* 2 tbsp dried oregano
* 2 tbsp dried thyme
* 1 tbsp garlic powder
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
* 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions
1. Rub pork with oil.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients to create the rub.  Massage the rub into the roast.  Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
3. Place the roast in a pan and bake, uncovered, at 325 F for 90 minutes.
4. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
5. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes
YUM!!!!  The house smelled great while this was cooking, and we loved it.  4 of us tried it, and 4 of us voted yes for keeper status!  I found this recipe in my recipe box; I have no idea how many years it has been waiting in there.  I am thrilled we tried it, and now that it's been added here and archived, I was able to recycle the original recipe!

I baked the roast in a greased pyrex pan, but you can put it in any kind of roasting dish you have on hand.  When I first read the recipe I was going to leave out the nutmeg, but then thought better of it.  The person who developed the recipe add it, and since I have nutmeg in the pantry I decided to add it.  And I marinated my roast in a zip top bag in the fridge; that was the easiest way for me.  We will definitely make this again!

Owen took the leftovers to school for lunch for two days and said it was still delicious!

Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients
* 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
* 1 1/2 cups of vegetables, sautéed
* 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
* 1 cup milk
* 8 eggs
* 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 tsp onion powder
* 1/8 tsp of salt
* 2 lbs frozen tater tots

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Grease bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish

3. Layer the vegetables 2 cups of the cheese, and 4 pieces of the cooked and crumbled bacon in the dish.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, pepper, onion powder and salt.  Pour this mixture into the baking dish.  (At this point you can cover this and place it in the fridge overnight and finish preparation in the morning if you'd like.)

5. On top of the egg mixture layer the tater tots in rows and columns.  Place the casserole, uncovered in the oven and cook for 35 minutes.

6. After 35 minutes, top the casserole with the additional cheese and reserved bacon.  Place back in the oven and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until the sides are bubbling and the top is golden brown.

7. Remove and let the casserole rest for about 10 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

Notes

My brother-in-law introduced our family to this basic casserole on Christmas morning a few years ago.  I made it for this first time this year at the holidays.  His version includes pancetta and less bacon, but it is very similar.  The recipe that he based his casserole on called for breakfast sausage, but he leaves that out entirely; I have never even thought about adding that.  In my family everyone loves bacon, but not everyone loves sausage.  When we upped the bacon and added the sautéed veggies, it was a hit!  We always use peppers and onions for our veggies. Green onions/scallions might be a great addition!  Maybe broccoli, too?  Add whatever you and your family will enjoy! As for the potatoes, you can use traditional tater tots or tater rounds - whatever you can get your hands on or have in the freezer.  As for the milk - we typically have skim on hand so I use that but you can use whatever milk you have in the fridge.

Absolutely let the casserole rest before you cut into it to serve. When it comes out everyone is ready to devour it, but don't let them just yet.  In those few minutes it will finish setting and then be cooled off a little so no one burns the roof of their mouth.  It's worth the wait!

January 11, 2020

Happy New Year! One of my resolutions is to restart the blog!  So, here we go!!!

Although it has been a long time since I have posted we continue to cook from scratch. We still try new recipes all the time and it will be great to get the keepers added into the archive!  This is a great weekend to get it restarted since it is also Liam’s birthday; he is a big reason why I started this blog in the first place! He was such a picky eater as a baby. Liam liked vegetables (at least a few) but did not like fruit.  I know what you are thinking - a kid that doesn’t like fruit? Grapes, strawberries, bananas? Yes- you read that right; Liam barely liked any fruit. So the summer he was three years old we had Fruit Boot Camp. All I offered for snacks the entire summer was fruit.  We tried many different kinds and we had so much fruit in the house - the older kids loved it! By the end of the summer Liam had come around to green grapes, strawberries and raspberries, but honestly not much else. Thankfully, over the years he has developed a taste for nearly all fruits!  

It is hard to believe Liam just turned 10 years old!  One of our birthday traditions is for the person to choose the dinner.  You literally can pick ANYTHING you want. Without fail what does Liam pick?  Tuna noodle casserole! This boy loves his comfort food. I use the recipe from Ryan’s childhood - his mom shared it with me when we were first married.  The three big kids absolutely love this, but so far Finn will not eat it. Maybe in time his tastes will change and will join his siblings and become a fan of tuna casserole; we shall see. I’ll put the recipe I use in the Tried & True section below.  A word of warning - this is an extremely monochromatic casserole so I wouldn’t suggest serving it with cauliflower!  

A friend at work asked me about dinner at our house.  I told her that we meal plan every weekend and then build the grocery list.  This process results in a fairly streamlined cooking and dinner experience in our kitchen.  I certainly would not be able to handle the pressure of coming up with an idea for dinner every night after a full day in the classroom followed by attending therapy appointments, watching sports contests or running other errands.  I need to be able to plan ahead and know what to expect. On Saturdays we look at the upcoming week and collaborate to pick out the meal ideas. We end up trying new recipes primarily on the weekend, and stick to what we know during the week.  And most Fridays we may eat the same thing as you probably do...PIZZA! The question is will it be homemade, frozen, or carry out? It depends on the week: does Finn have horseback riding, is there anything else going on, and how we are doing with the weekly food budget?

I’m so glad to be back on the blog! 2 new keepers and 1 tried a true this week!

Happy Cooking!

New Recipes

Jalapeno Popper Dip (Award Winning)

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Tried & True Recipe

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Jalapeño Popper Dip (Award Winning)

Ingredients

• 2 packages of 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 4oz can chopped green chilies, drained
• 4oz can diced jalapeño peppers, drained
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 5 pieces cooked and crumbled bacon, if desired
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• Peppers, carrots, crackers or chips for dipping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 oF.
2. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients except the panko bread crumbs.  
3. Spread dip into an ungreased 9 inch pie plate.  Sprinkle the panko bread crumbs on top.
4. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.
5. Serve with vegetables, chips or crackers.

Notes

We love this easy and delicious dip!  I entered it in a contest at a BaconFest party and won “best in show” with the addition of the optional bacon.  Honestly, this dip is delicious both with and without the bacon and we make it both ways. I usually serve with with both veggies and Ritz crackers.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 cups carrots, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 9 cups chicken broth
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• Package of refrigerated tortellini (see notes below)
• ½ cup fresh spinach leaves, rough chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper, to taste, if needed

Directions

1. Place large sauce pot over medium heat.  Add olive oil and onions. Saute for three minutes to soften.  Add chopped pepper, carrots and garlic. Saute another three minutes.
2. Add chicken broth, chicken breasts, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper.  Bring just to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken and place on a cutting board.
3. Turn the heat back to medium.  Stir in the tortellini and stir so they don’t stick together.
4. Chop or shred the chicken and place back into the soup.
5. Once the tortellini is cooked through (follow the directions for timing on the package), turn off the heat.  Stir in the spinach and parsley. Taste, add additional salt and pepper if needed.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

We love this soup, and when I make it I like to use Buitoni tortellini. Most of my family loves pasta so I toss in an entire family size 20oz package (the typical size is 8-9oz).  If you’d like your soup to be a more traditional soup with a few tortellini you can absolutely use a smaller package of pasta. The original recipe I adapted this called for an 8oz package of tortellini.

If you think you have too much chicken for the soup when you chop or shred it you can refrigerate the extra chicken and use it for something else.

This soup is delicious and I love having the leftover chicken soup for lunch the next day (my family will have eaten all the pasta during dinner!).

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients for white sauce

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp AP flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• Group pepper, to taste
• 1 ½ cup milk

Ingredients for casserole

• 1 recipe of white sauce
• 1 can of tuna (solid white albacore), drained
• 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 12-16 oz egg noodles (depending on how "saucy" you want it)
• Potato chips

Directions for white sauce

1. Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour, salt and pepper to combine.  Stir until there are no lumps.
2. Stir in the milk all at once.  Raise the heat to medium and continue to stir until there are bubbles across the entire surface of the sauce. Continue to cook and stir for approximately one more minute to thicken. Remove from the heat.

Direction for casserole

1. Preheat the oven to 350oF.
2. Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. Drain the noodles and put back in the pot.
3. While the egg noodles cook, make the white sauce.
4. Combine the noodles, sauce, tuna and eggs.  Stir well.
5. Pour the mixture into a greased 9 x 12 glass baking dish.
6. Crush potato chips (as many as you feel makes sense, but try to cover the casserole) and sprinkle on the casserole.
7. Cook for 15-20 minutes uncovered.  Serve and enjoy!