Korean Venison & Broccoli

by almost_rosey // 23May2017 // No Comments

I’m embarrassed to say that my guy has done the majority of cooking with our venison. He has made chicken fried venison, various steaks, and every roast we have had in the past two years. It’s not that I can’t try cooking the roasts, that’s just how it has worked out. He perfected the roast recipe so I have just let him cook all of them. I have made a few dishes with the venison. Most of which I have yet to post.

One of the very first meals I made with my first deer was Asian Venison & Broccoli (which I did actually blog about). That deer is long gone but I was fortunate enough to harvest another deer last season. When I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner I figured I would try something similar. One of the only vegetables I can easily get in my grocery store is broccoli.

I also always have the other ingredients for the marinade in my pantry so figured it would be quick and easy.

The marinade I found was from bon appetite. It’s called bulgogi which is Korean. I’ve used in on chicken and am absolutely in love with the flavors (I do cut out a few of the ingredients for convenience but I like the way it turns out my way). Normally when you cook it you grill it or pan fry it without adding additional sauce to it so that it has a nice char on the outside. I wanted a sauce for the rice & broccoli though.

Korean Venison & Broccoli (serves 2)

small amount of sesame & olive oil
8 oz venison steak*sliced into thin strips
1/2 to 3/4 head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched or lightly steamed.
1/2 cup white rice, cook according to package directions

*I did also brine my steaks (before slicing them) in 4 cups water and 2 tsp salt which is a very mild brine but so much salt is being added in the marinade & sauce I didn’t want the salt to be over powering. Rinse the brine off and pat dry before slicing.

Marinade

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1-2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp crushed red pepper
few dashes ground ginger
1 tsp corn starch
few dashes salt

Sauce

1 tbsp each hoisin, oyster, soy sauce, and water
1-2 tsp rice vinegar
dash or two ground ginger & garlic powder

Add marinade to venison (except for corn starch & salt) and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix sauce ingredients together.

Heat a small amount of sesame oil or sesame & olive oil in a skillet (I find too much sesame oil is overwhelming so usually do a blend for stir-fries). Add the corn starch & salt to the venison and stir. Add the marinaded venison and cook briefly over medium to medium high heat (about 30 seconds per side). Add the broccoli and the sauce and allow to come to a boil. Cook for another 2 minutes or so. Add a smidge more corn starch if needed to thicken sauce. Serve over rice.

Dinner Party Tiramisu

by almost_rosey // 10May2017 // No Comments

I really enjoy having friends over for dinner. I like being a hostess. I would prefer to have nicer plates & actually make a pretty table like they do on TV but have never invested in it. Regardless, I enjoy having company, planning a menu, making sure everyone has what they need, and that they are enjoying themselves.

A long time ago, in another life I like to say, I used to have friends over for dinner often. Roughly every other weekend I would have people over. One of those people was my guy. At that point in time though we were friends. We were on the verge of transitioning into where we are today.

One night I had an Italian themed dinner. I had planned a menu of parmesan encrusted chicken breasts with roasted red pepper sauce, some sort of side that I can no longer recall, and tiramisu for dessert.

I have always loved tiramisu but had never made it before that dinner party. My trusty cookbook had a recipe so I thought I would give it a go. It did not turn out pretty but tasted fantastic. As I was making it & reading the recipe, it said to cut it into thirds. I cut it into 3 pieces in the pan. Whoops. It meant cut the whole cake into thirds so that you’d have cake, filling, cake, filling, etc. I didn’t care too much. I found it more funny than anything else so decided to just keep it and have it be super tall. It would be an excellent conversation piece if anything else.

I was finishing as much prep as I could do before people arrived. They were running late which didn’t bother me cause I was running a bit behind too. I went into a cupboard to grab a mixing bowl and managed to knock out the bowl of my food processor onto the floor. I stepped back to get it & stepped on what I though was a rock. I looked and saw it was the blade of my food processor. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. I had stepped on the plastic part that attaches it to the bowl or so I thought. I took a few steps to put it away and turned around & realized I was not as lucky as I thought. There was blood everywhere. The blade was so sharp (honestly it had never been used) that it had sliced my foot super clean so that I hadn’t known I had gotten cut.

I saw a roll of paper towels on the counter, grabbed it, & hit the floor putting pressure & the towels on my wound. In my head I was thinking that this couldn’t be happening. I was having friends over for dinner in a matter of minutes. This is all their fault. If they had been there they would have seen what had happened & yelled at me to not step back.

Of course I knew that it wouldn’t have really been that way. If anything I would have still stepped back & rolled on it from them trying to warn me & probably cut myself a lot worse. By the time they arrived it had been a few minutes. I was wanting to hold it tight for a bit to see if I could stop the bleeding. I didn’t know how deep it was & didn’t really want to look. I finally did & they joked that they wanted to see. I went in the bathroom & unwrapped my foot & knew that the dinner would have to go on without me as I needed to go to the ER.

I was such a good hostess though. As I was getting ready to leave I told everyone where I was in the dinner process. Where they could find all the ingredients, the recipes, & any miscellaneous items. I left. My guy (well not my guy at the time but you know what I mean) came out to watch me leave & I waived goodbye.

I ended up with 10 stitches. I had never had a stitch in my life. My first one (or ten) happened when I was almost 27 years old. I did not pay attention to my doctors advice to not drink. I actually took a shot of whiskey in the parking lot after being picked up. I lived in wright county at the time so I’m sure there was at least one other person doing the exact same thing. My friends had been having fun in the 3 hours that I spent in the ER. They managed to make dinner and saved me a plate. They waited to have the tiramisu until I got back. We hung out & I didn’t have to get up once.

That part of my life seems so long ago but it’s really only been 6 years. It’s amazing what can change in 6 years. In that time my guy and I figured out where we wanted to be in terms of our relationship. We moved to Almost Canada. We got married & just celebrated our one year anniversary. We have a whole new life.

We actually hosted an Italian night with friends we have made up here. Of course I offered to make the tiramisu. It made me remember my first tiramisu & how horribly ugly it looked. I wish I had a photo. When I told my guy I was making tiramisu for dessert all he said was… ‘make sure you cut it correctly this time.’ I guess he never forgot that evening either or at least the tiramisu.

I did make this one appropriately with the exception of doing 2 layers instead of 3 as I don’t think my knife skills are up to par to make thirds. That’s OK though. It was fun hosting. Everyone seemed to enjoy the tiramisu & I didn’t end up in the ER. I’d call that a success.

Pork & Zucchini Meatballs

by almost_rosey // 6Oct2015 // No Comments

I’ve always been a baker. I started baking brownies after school in fourth grade which may have been a contributing factor to my fourth grade chubbiness. It’s only in the last few years that I have actually started cooking.

I do almost all the cooking in my household. I enjoy it. I like to make dinner and meals for other people. With that comes the task of meal planning. I probably take this way too seriously. I will spend 1-2 hours on Sunday and plan meals out for the week.

I live in Almost Canada where a well stocked pantry & freezer is a way of life. I’m usually cooking for two so coming up with meals that use common ingredients is a necessity. In the summer months that means using the garden’s bounty.

Zucchini is one such ingredient. The little zucchini are great for side dishes or replacing noodles. It’s those big guys that hide in your garden that become breads, cakes, fritters, etc. I decided to use them in a meatball instead of onion to keep them moist. The worst kind of meatball is a dry meatball which is probably the most common problem when it comes to making them. These are divine. I also used homemade tomato sauce which makes any dish that much better.

Pork & Zucchini Meatballs (serves 2)

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1-2 tsp minced garlic
1 egg
1 slice bread, torn into small pieces
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
tomato sauce (store bought or use this recipe Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce)

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Mix all the ingredients together except for the sauce. Form into meatballs (roughly the size of a golf ball). Place on baking sheet and bake in oven for 8 minutes or so until browned. Place in tomato sauce and cook for at least 20 minutes until cooked through (preferably longer for deeper flavor, turning occasionally). Serve over pasta, or if you are like me, sautéed zucchini.

Bulgur Vegetable Salad

by almost_rosey // 4Aug2015 // No Comments

I feel that people associate Minnesota only with heavy comfort foods. Hot dishes and meat & potatoes. In actuality, gardens are quite prevalent in Minnesota, resulting in many veggie based meals or at least veggie filled side dishes.

In my household, it’s rare to have a vegetarian meal. My guy is a meat & potatoes man & believes veggies are something to be used as a side dish. I, however, have never been a meat & potatoes girl. Don’t get me wrong, I love meat & potatoes. I love them together. But I love all food and vegetables have always been one of those foods. Since meeting me, my guy has probably eaten more vegetables with me than in his entire life before living with me.

I try to come up with tasty ways for him to eat them (as well as myself) even if it is just for side dishes. This isn’t a crazy vegetable dish by any means but it does incorporate the veggies from our garden this year in a way I haven’t made it in years. It’s sort of like a tab(b)ouli or tab(b)ouleh salad – pick your fave spelling – just modified for what I had on hand.

This can be eaten by itself or paired with some sort of meatball or yogurt chicken if you have a meat eater in your household as well.

Bulgur Vegetable Salad (makes 4 servings)

1 cup bulgur
2 cups water
olive oil
lemon juice
1 onion, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced into half moons
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp each dried basil & oregano
salt & pepper to taste
dash onion powder
1/2 a cucumber, chopped
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup feta cheese

Place bulgur & water in a small pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer & cover. Cook for 20 minutes or until water is absorbed.
Meanwhile, in a skillet sauté zucchini & onion in a small amount of olive oil until tender & slightly caramelized. Add garlic & cook for 2 minutes more.
Drizzle the cooked bulgur with olive oil & lemon juice. Add the cooked vegetables & spices & stir to combine. Top with the raw vegetables & feta cheese. Drizzle with more olive oil & lemon juice if desired.

Picked Pea Pot Pie

by almost_rosey // 10Feb2015 // No Comments

Do you ever just have bad days? Of course you do. Everyone does. My fishing guide had one the other day. This year he is not really my fishing guide. He became a real fishing guide as he needed a job. The job options up here in Almost Canada are rather bleak so he was more or less forced to work on the ice. He now brings others to fish, thus we do not get to fish. Something that is none too thrilling for our hobby of ice fishing which we are both quite passionate about. But what can you do? He needed a job.

This job is different from his previous accounting desk type jobs. He likes this job well enough but like all jobs, things set you off. You get grumpy. He called me on his way home with a grumpy & annoyed tone the other day. Our conversation was brief. He had a long day.

All his days are long actually. He gets up at 4:30 and working 12 hour days (or longer) is the norm. Consequently, I make dinner. I always made dinner before but now it is more of a necessity. I don’t mind. I love making dinner.

When he called me I had planned on making individual pot pies with biscuits. A comforting, warming dish common in Minnesota this time of year. This one would be super easy and all my ingredients were readily available. I had leftover duck already shredded, I had biscuits for the crust, and I had cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese, herbs, and a bag of mixed veggies in the freezer for the filling.

The veggies consisted of corn, green beans, carrots, and peas. And here lied my dilemma…peas. He hates peas with a passion. I love peas and I love them in my pot pie. Needless to say he does not enjoy them at all in food. I knew today was not the day to be serving him peas. I actually burst out laughing in the kitchen imagining his reaction if I were to serve them to him. Funny to me but not to him most likely. So I set about removing the peas from my filling. It wasn’t that difficult. I just tried to scoop portions for his that didn’t contain many peas and then removed any stray peas.

When he came home and saw mini pot pies for dinner he looked pleased. When I served him his plate and put mine before me he said, “mine looks different”. I responded, “That’s because I picked out all the peas from yours.” A smile appeared on his face. And then a smile appeared on mine. We then enjoyed what little time we had left before he went to bed.

While I know that picking out peas did not cure his grumpiness completely it did lighten the mood. It is a reminder of how much I care for him. A small thing that reminds me that things aren’t as bad as one might think if all you have to do is take the time to remove some peas.

Individual Pot Pies* (serves 4)

*Note that I do not know who came up with this recipe first. I know that biscuit companies have this almost exact recipe listed on their websites but I also know that I didn’t learn it from them. I’m not sure where I learned it. I think it is one of those recipes that everyone comes up with at some point.

pack of 8 refrigerated biscuits (or make your own)
1 1/2-2 cups shredded meat (I used duck but chicken works just fine)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp each oregano & thyme
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (use more if desired)
1 bag mixed vegetables or use what you have on hand (about 2- 2 1/2 cups veggies)

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 8 muffin cups.

Cook veggies according to package directions. Place meat, veggies, soup, cheese, and seasonings in a large bowl. Mix well. Take biscuit dough and stretch each biscuit until about 1/4 in thin. The circle should be about 5-6in diameter. Place biscuits in greased muffin cups. Fill with filling until about the top of the muffin cup. Fold sides of biscuit over filling. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Heat excess filling on the stove or in the microwave. Serve pot pies with the additonal filling.

(Picture is of my pies, the ones with peas. My fishing guide’s pot pies looked the same but contained only corn, carrots, and green beans in terms of veggies)

Multiple Meals: Ground Beef & Pork

by almost_rosey // 9Jan2015 // No Comments

I was hoping to make one more giant grocery shop before the snow hit in Northern Minnesota (aka Almost Canada) but it seems I was too late. The snow & cold weather has infringed upon my ability to go get groceries this last weekend. Yes I can get food in town but it is drastically overpriced. I usually make a giant trip every 1-2 months and stock up on pantry items & frozen goods. I also buy meat in bulk and then portion it into 2-4 servings (enough for me & my fishing guide for dinner with leftovers if desired) and freeze it. Since I was not going shopping for a week or two I decided to work with what I had on hand. I made 4 meals using the same meat source. Meatloaf and casseroles are big in this state/climate so I included those in my food prep. Nothing fancy but all meals are different (an important concept in many households as people get sick of the same foods being served over & over). Most importantly, you can do all the prep in one day.

Before any of the meals can be made you must combine 1 lb of ground beef with 1 lb of ground pork. Divide the meat into two 1 lb portions. Take one portion and split in half again. Set both of these 1/2 lb portions aside (one will be for meatloaf and one will be for noodle casserole). Take the other 1 lb portion & add to a skillet and brown. Add taco seasoning to your liking with a small amount of water. Let cook off for a few minutes. Take this mixture and split into two portions. Use one immediately for tacos. Set one aside for stuffed poblanos.

Tacos (serves 2)

I will not put any information here for taco prep cause everyone knows what to do. Use your favorite fixings and sides of your preference. I made a spicy pepper creamed corn but refried beans or mexican rice are great as well.

Stuffed Chile Poblanos (serves 2)

half of the taco seasoned meat previously prepared
2 poblano chiles
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup white rice
2 tomatoes, diced
taco seasoning
salsa
sour cream

Place poblano peppers on a cooking sheet & place under broiler. Broil for 3-5 minutes per side until skins are blistered. Place peppers into a bowl & cover with pastic wrap or place in a gallon sized plastic bag. Let sit for 10 minutes & remove skins. Slice open on one side & remove seeds. Place ground meat and 1/4 cup cheese in each pepper. Close peppers.
Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. Stir in diced tomatoes and 1-2 tsp taco seasoning & salsa to your liking (I only use a few tsp of very hot salsa at this stage).
Pour rice into a 8×8 casserole dish. Top with peppers. Cover with foil & bake within 1 day. Bake covered in a 400F oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Serve with additional salsa & sour cream if desired.

Muffin Tin Meatloaf (serves 2 with 3 muffins each)

1/2 lb portion ground meat
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped onion
2 slices bread, torn into pieces
pinch each oregano, basil, sage
sprinkle salt & pepper
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp worcestshire sauce
1/2 tsp ground mustard

Take a 1/2 lb portion meat & add to a medium mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredredients through the salt & pepper. Stir to combine.
Stir together the ketchup, sugar, worcestshiire sauce, and ground mustard. Set aside.
Lightly grease half of a muffin tin (this makes 6 meatloaf muffins). Add the meat to the tin with a scoop or spoon. Cover with foil. Place in the fridge or freezer.
Bake for 25 minutes if refrigerated. If frozen, take out the night before you want to bake it and place it in the fridge to thaw. Bake as previously mentioned.
Once cooked, top with the sauce mixture. Bake for 5-10 moire minutes. Serve with sides of your choice. I served baked potatoes and salad.

Sorry for the lack of photos. I forgot.

Beef & Pork Noodle Casserole

1/2 lb portion ground meat
1 small red & yellow pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp flour
2 cups reduced sodium beef broth
4 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups pasta

Brown meat with peppers and tomatoes. Do not drain. Add flour and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the broth and cook & stir over medium-low to medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.

Add the pasta to the beef mixture and stir in parmesan cheese. Place in an appropriate sized container (I used a loaf pan). Cover with foil & place in the fridge or freezer.

If refrigerated, bake within 1 day. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Remove foil, stir, and bake for 10-15 more minutes. Top with more cheese if desired. If frozen, bake for 50-60 minutes covered. Remove foil, stir, & bake for 15-20 more minutes.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

by almost_rosey // 13Sep2014 // No Comments

As I was trying to think of something to make for lunch the other day I decided I wanted to do something vegetarian & use a spaghetti squash I had in my pantry. Let me start by saying that both those ideas seem crazy when it comes to my fishing (and soon to be hunting) guide. He is a strong meat & potatoes guy (the only time vegetarian dishes are safe is for lunch) and he isn’t too thrilled with that squash in general. I made it once as spaghetti squash fritters (which he enjoyed but not enough for a remake request) and once as Bacon Spaghetti Squash Pasta which I loved, but apparently he thought it was just so-so. Thus, I have a mission to make him enjoy this food.

I figured I could stuff it. After all, it looks like two bowls when you empty it out and I have come across various stuffed squash recipes in the past. So I looked into my pantry and came out with the following recipe. Even my meat & potatoes guy enjoyed this creation. It has plenty inside to make you forget that there isn’t any meat, and the squash isn’t the star, but is a strong contributor to the dish.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash (serves 2)

1 medium spaghetti squash
olive oil
1 small-medium onion, chopped
1 small-medium green pepper, chopped
1 can chili beans, drained but not rinsed
1/2 cup chunky salsa, hotness is your choice
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking dish with foil. Cut the spaghetti squash in half (or have someone do it for you if you are like me). Scoop out the seeds.

Lightly oil the inside and outside of the squash and place cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45-60 minutes (adding water if needed to the baking pan for the last 15 minutes to loosen up the flesh). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. The flesh should flake easily with a fork. Shred all the squash.

Meanwhile, sauté the onion & green pepper in a small amount of olive oil over medium to medium-low heat until caramelized (about 20-40 minutes depending how low & slow you are cooking). Add the drained chili beans until warmed through. Add the flesh from one squash half. Put the other flesh in a container to be used later. Add the salsa and 1/4 cup cheese (don’t worry about extra seasoning, the beans & salsa provide plenty!)

Stuff both bowl squash halves and bake for 15 minutes. Top with the rest of the cheddar cheese and bake till melted. Garnish with green onions. Serve with more salsa & sour cream if desired.

White Chicken Lasagna

by almost_rosey // 18Jul2014 // No Comments

When I was younger I never cared for lasagna. I attribute this to a few things. I did not care for lots of red sauce at that time. I always thought lasagnas had too much sauce. It was unappealing to look at & I ended up scraping excess away. I also thought they were too cheesy. I love cheese. I have always loved cheese. I eat way too much cheese I am sure, but when it comes to pizzas & lasagnas I believe that less is more. I also don’t know if I ever had a homemade lasagna. They were always frozen aisle lasagnas.

Once I started cooking for myself, I realized I love lasagna. I just like it the way I make it with less sauce & cheese. I also never used to use loaf pans. I would use a normal 8×8 or 9×13 pan. Since I am cooking for 2 almost always, I like using the loaf pans. That way it is always fresh when you pop it in the oven. I also like being able to prep meals ahead of time & lasagna is one of the perfect make ahead meals. With the loaf pans you get one right away and another within a week. As the guy I am cooking for likes red lasagnas I have always made those. I decided to make a white lasagna this time. It is creamy, savory, & a nice change from a traditional red sauced lasagna. It even has his approval.

White Chicken Lasagna

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1tsp each basil, oregano, pepper
few dashes each onion powder & garlic powder
1 diced onion, red pepper, & yellow pepper
olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
1 cup chicken stock
3 cups milk
pinch sage, basil, oregano, pepper & salt
1/4 cup mozzarella
1/2-3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese (optional)

Lightly coat a large skillet with olive oil. Sauté the onion & peppers until almost caramelized. Add one tbsp. butter & stir until melted. Add 3 tbsp. flour & stir until dissolved. Add 1 cup chicken stock, 3 cups milk, & pinch each basil, oregano, pepper & salt. Stir often until thickened & bubbly. Add 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
Meanwhile, mix egg, cottage cheese, shredded chicken, tsp each basil, oregano, & pepper, few dashes each onion & garlic powder, & 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl.
Take two loaf pans & place 1/4 cup sauce on the bottoms of each. Place approx. 1.5 noodles (cutting & overlapping as necessary) on sauce. Top each with 1/4 the chicken mixture. Sprinkle a small amount of mozzarella cheese over the chicken. Top with sauce. Repeat layers once ending with last layer of noodles on top. Finally, over the last set of noodles place some more mozzarella & top with remainder of sauce. If desired, top with parmesan cheese. Cover both with foil. Bake immediately, place in the fridge overnight, or place in the freezer for up to a week (if placing in freezer cover with foil, wrap it completely in plastic wrap, & wrap again completely with foil. Remove outer wrap of foil & plastic before baking).
Bake in a 375F oven for 40-45min covered & 15-20 minutes without foil (if frozen add 10-15 minutes to each portion of baking).

Multiple Meals: Pizza, Lasagna, & Gravy

by almost_rosey // 26Jun2014 // No Comments

There is no story behind this post. I simply had too much food that needed to be eaten so it wouldn’t go to waste. Seeing as how I only like to eat the same thing a handful of times, I decided to split it into 3 meals (this also took care of a lot of meal planning for me for the week). Each can serve 2 & you get spare lasagna as well!

Prep for all 3:

Brown 1lb ground beef & 1lb hot Italian sausage together. Set aside 1 cup browned meat for gravy.
Sauté 2 yellow squash, 2 zucchini & 2 onions together
Prepare pizza sauce (mix all together)
- (1) 6oz can tomato paste
- 1/3-2/3 cup water (depends on consistency you want for pizza sauce)
- ¼ olive oil
- Dash Salt & pepper
- 2tsp each Basil & oregano
Prepare pizza dough (makes 2 – 1 for pizza & 1 for another use within 1 week in the fridge covered loosely):
- Mix in a large bowl: 1.5 cups warm water, 2 ¼ tsp yeast, 1tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar, ¼ cup olive oil
- Add 3 cups bread flour using wet hands if needed to incorporate all the flour
- Cover loosely and let rise for 2-2.5 hrs

Pizza

Browned meat
Sautéed veggies
Pizza sauce
Half the dough
Mozzarella cheese
- Preheat oven with pizza stone lightly coated with cornmeal at 450F for 30minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured pizza peel to be 1/8in thick.
- Spoon half the sauce on the dough. Top with light sprinkling of cheese. You should still see the sauce through the cheese
- Top with browned meat & veggies. Again, be light with toppings.
- Slide onto stone & bake for 20-25minutes until crust is cooked through.

Lasagna (Makes 2 lasagnas. Each lasagna serves 2)

Browned meat
Sautéed veggies
Pizza sauce & 15oz can tomato sauce
6-12 cooked lasagna noodles (depending on preference)
1 container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
Mozzarella cheese
Basil & oregano
- Mix pizza sauce & tomato sauce together. Add more basil & oregano to taste.
- Mix egg & ricotta cheese. Add ¼ cup mozzarella cheese to this mixture.
- Put ~1/4 cup sauce on bottoms of two loaf pans.
- Cut noodles as necessary to fit pan (about 1-2 noodles per layer & 3 layers total).
- Add a few tbsp ricotta mixture & spread over noodles. Top with browned meat & veggies. Top with more sauce. Repeat layer again & add some mozzarella cheese over the ricotta blend. For the final layer, use ricotta, mozzarella & sauce only. Cover with foil. Repeat for second lasagna. Bake immediately, after 24hrs in fridge, or within a week in the freezer.
- If baking immediately, bake for 30 minutes with foil & 15-20 without foil. If baking after storing in the fridge for a day, bake for 40minutes with foil & 15-20 without. If baking from the freezer, bake for 60 minutes with the foil, & 15-20 without.

Gravy

1 cup Browned meat
1 cup Milk
1 tbsp Flour
Pepper to taste
- Put browned meat in skillet or pot. Reheat for a few minutes.
- Add 1 tbsp flour to meat & sauté for 1-2minutes.
- Add 1 cup milk & cook over medium heat until thickened & bubbly. Add pepper to taste.
- Serve over biscuits or toasted baguette slices (if all else fails, serve over a slice of toast like I did)

Chicken or Cheese Rellenos

by almost_rosey // 1May2014 // 2 Comments

Do you have a plan for dinner?

A question that I have become quite familiar with. The answer is yes & no. I am normally the one to make dinners. Every week I take some time to vaguely plan out a dinner menu. I write down a few ideas that I might do throughout the week & cross-check it with my fridge, freezer, & pantry.

As we had just run a commuting errand to get some food items, I knew I had poblano peppers to be used. I also knew I had cheese & salsa in the fridge, green bell peppers & jalapenos in the freezer, and rice, canned tomatoes, & taco seasoning in the pantry.

I said that I would make chile rellenos. I said it would be vegetarian. I received a look of disapproval or skepticism. Maybe a combination of the two. As I was pulling my ingredients together, I noticed that there was a leftover chicken thigh in the fridge. I said I could put in the rellenos & received a nonchalant reply but knew that this would be much preferred.

I decided to make half of the rellenos with chicken & half without. While the chicken had more substance, the cheese variation was much creamier & tasted more rich. They were both delicious & depending on your mood or taste preferences, either will satisfy your needs.

While these may not be traditional, they are very good.

Chicken or Cheese Rellenos (serves 2)

4 poblano peppers
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1 can diced, stewed, or peeled tomatoes with sauce (if you use whole or stewed tomatoes, give them a rough chop)
1 cup instant rice
1 cup water
2-3 tsp taco seasoning (use prepared or make your own…see below)
1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese
3-4 oz Neufchatel cream cheese
pulled or shredded cooked chicken (equivalent to 1 thigh or small breast)
salsa
sour cream, optional

If you are making your own taco seasoning mix together the following in a small dish…

1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper or cayenne
1/4 tsp oregano

Place poblano peppers on a cooking sheet & place under broiler. Broil for 3-5 minutes per side until skins are blistered. Place peppers into a bowl & cover with pastic wrap or place in a gallon sized plastic bag. Let sit for 10 minutes & remove skins. Slice open on one side & remove seeds. Add 2 tbsp. cheddar cheese to each pepper. Add 1-2 tbsp. cream cheese. Add salsa as desired. Add pulled chicken to two of the peppers. Close peppers.
Meanwhile, chop the onion, green pepper, & jalapeno. Sauté in a small amount of olive oil over medium heat until caramelized. Add the tomatoes & the water. Bring this to a boil & stir in the rice & taco seasoning. Cover & remove from heat. Let sit for 5-8 minutes until rice absorbs liquid.
Pour rice into a 9×13 in casserole dish. Top with peppers. Bake in a 400F oven for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with additional salsa & sour cream if desired.

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Meal Planning