Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Two new Recipes



Yum!! I got another recipe for my collection, and this one is a keeper!! It is so good, and I know you aren't supposed to start with dessert, but I can't wait to post this one. It's a brownie torte made with whipped cream, strawberries, vanilla pudding and brownie mix. It's pretty simple to make and oh so good!! It was originally used at a wedding shower, and got rave reviews. So here's an easy one to wow your friends with-


Yum!!



Chocolate Strawberry Torte: (from the Eagle Brand website)

1 (19.5-22 oz) package fudge brownie mix

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 Cup cold water

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

2 Cups whipped cream

1 qt fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced

Chocolate Syrup (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9 inch round layer cake pans (I used two 9" square casserole pans b/c I didn't have the round ones...they worked just as well). Line with wax paper extending up the sides of the pan. Grease the wax paper.

Prepare brownie mix as package directs for cake like brownies. Pour into two pans. Cook for 20 minutes or until mix springs back. Cool.

In a large bowl, combine condensed milk and water. Beat in pudding mix. Let cool in fridge for 5 minutes. fold in whipped cream.

Place one brownie layer on a serving plate. Top with half each of the pudding mix and strawberries. Repeat layers. (brownie, pudding, strawberries). Drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired. Store leftovers in fridge. (it's even better the second day!)

Now, on to the main course. After watching an episode of Emeril Live, ("cooking on a budget") I decided that I had to try stuffed peppers. Prior to watching my favorite chef cook them, I was skeptical...stuffed peppers sounded a little too healthy for my tastes-but this recipe sounded really good, so I decided to try it out. It was amazing!! And I was able to put it together early in the day and stick it in the fridge until 20 minutes or so before we were ready to eat, which was great.

Stuffed Peppers

Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers: From foodnetwork.com, as seen on Emeril Live

4 medium Bell peppers

8 oz ground pork sausage

1 1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 cup cooked long grain rice

1/2 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning

1/2 tsp Essence (Emerils special seasoning, available at the grocery store. You can also find the recipe on his website)

1/4 tsp pepper, plus more for seasoning

1/4 cup chopped onions, green part only

1 tablespoon chopped parsely leaves

2 tablespoons fine dried bread crumbs

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400. Cut off the top quarter of each bell pepper and reserve. Scoop the seeds and veins out from the inside of the pepper and discard. Set shells aside. Remove and discard the stems from each bell pepper top. Dice enough of the bell pepper tops to make 1/2 cup. Set aside.

In a large skillet, crumble and brown the sausage until cooked through. Add the onions, 1/2 cup diced pepper and celery. Saute for 4 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add rice and seasonings and mix well. Remove from heat and add green onions and parsely. Season the insides of the pepper shells with salt and pepper. Spoon the rice mixture into the shells.

In a small bowl combine bread crumbs and cheese. Season with a pinch of essence and mix well. Sprinkle the mixture over the peppers and top with a tsp of butter. Place peppers in 8 inch baking dish. Add just enough water to cover the bottom. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are crusty brown and peppers are warmed through. Serve hot.

I found that these were pretty much a meal on their own...I served ours with some crusty french bread, and it made a nice combination.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Sunday Dinner





We had an absolute feast last night!! Ribs, squash casserole, homemade baked beans, sweet tea and chocolate chip brownies...and it was all delicious!! Matt spent all afternoon working on the ribs, which he grilled over warm coals for about an hour and a half...flipping and basting every 5-10 minutes. Then he brought them in and finished them in the oven at around 200 for another 2 hours. When they came out they were so tender and full of flavor. (he had allowed them to sit in the fridge covered with a rub overnight). Our next mission is to find a great barbecue sauce...we both agreed that they would have been even better if we had served some sauce on the side. The squash casserole is an old favorite of mine...pretty simple-squash, bacon, onion, cracker crumbs, salt, pepper and a few other ingredients. It was wonderful!





Yellow Squash Casserole: From the Southern Living "30 years of our Best Recipes" Cookbook:
2 lbs yellow squash, sliced (about 4 or 5 squash)
1 Cup water
2 small onions minced
2 tbl butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cup round butter cracker crumbs divided
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
2 large eggs lightly beaten

Combine squash and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover for about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain well, mash and drain again.
Saute onion in butter in skillet over medium heat until teder. Turn off heat. Add squash, cheese, 3/4 cup crumbs, salt, pepper, bacon and eggs. Stir well. Spoon mixture into lightly greased two quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cracker crumbs. Bake uncovered at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

The baked beans were a new recipe-you start with a can of pork and beans and add lots of flavor; green peppers, onion, bacon, mustard and ketchup-I really enjoyed them! They were a lot better than just buying a can of baked beans: (I forgot to take pictures of this one...they looked so good that we couldn't wait to dig in!)

Easy Baked Beans: From the Southern Living "30 Years of Our Best Recipes" Cookbook:

2 slices of bacon halved
1 small onion diced
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
1 (15 oz) can pork and beans with tomato sauce (I used Van Camps)
2 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup molasses
3 tbl ketchup

Cook bacon in skillet until almost done. Remove from pan and set aside. Saute onion and peppers in the remaining bacon drippings until tender. Drain.
Combine sauted onion mixture, beans and remaining 4 ingredients. Stir well. Spoon into lightly greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish. Top with bacon. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-40 minutes.


Finally, my second favorite part of the meal (ribs were the clear winner!!) was the sweet tea! It was just the right amount of sweetness...and I did use a recipe. I know a good southern cook should know intuitively how to make sweet tea, but my efforts prior to the recipe were pretty sad, so I was grateful for the recipe. Here it is: (another modified Paula Deen recipe)


Sweet Tea:
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
Add 4 family size (preferrably luzianne) tea bags, and cut off the heat
Let that sit for 1 hour, steeping with the lid on
Pour into a pitcher and add 1 cup of sugar; stir well
Add 4 more cups of cold water, and serve with lemon wedges

Sunday, August 20, 2006

















Delicious Pot Roast



Here's a (beautiful!!) "while it's cooking" picture of the pot roast (recipe follows) MMM!!! Thanks E! (I'd probably go with a red wine...but Im sure that white was quite good;) Posted by Picasa

We're cooking now!!

Today has been a great food day! Matt and I have spent the entire day cooking and cooking...he's working on some "Take Your Time Ribs" and Im working on the sides. It's not ready yet, but im taking pictures and keeping track of recipes. I'll report on them after we eat. However I have some great news.... I got my first recipe contribution! Thanks E!! Here comes slow cooker pot roast..delicious, quick, and you have everything you need in the cupboard. Here's the recipe:


Tender Slow Cooker Roast
Delicious and tender and makes its own gravy!

3-4 lb boneless rump roast
1 pkg powdered brown gravy mix
1 pkg Lipton Onion soup mix
Garlic powder (I use 1/2 tsp per pound of meat)
1 to 1 1/2 c water
Place roast in slow cooker with the fat side up.
Season with garlic powder; sprinkle roast with a little of the dry gravy mix and put some along side of roast in bottom of slow cooker. Do the same with the dry onion soup mix. Pour 1 to 1 1/2c water in pot along side of roast.
Cover and cook on low all day. (If it's after noon when I start this, then I put it on high for an hour or so and then switch to low).

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Adventures of Chicken Parmesan

Well, I tried a "20 minute chicken parmesan" recipe last night from one of my southern living cookbooks...and it wasn't a huge hit here (thats why there is no picture for it). The recipe called for store-bought spaghetti sauce over the chicken, and so I used some Ragu...I think this ruined it. The sauce was a little bland...I think the recipe really needed some fresh home made tomato sauce...with lots of seasonings. The chicken part turned out well (i pounded it thin and pan fried it in olive oil after coating it with milk and italian breadcrumbs. Yum! I might use this recipe alone for dinner one night. I don't like using eggs to coat the chicken because I always burn it...I think the eggs cook faster or something. Actually to be honest I tried coating it with half and half (i needed to conserve the milk) ...but i didn't notice any difference. Next time I'll just use the milk.

On another note...please PLEASE feel free to contribute recipes!!! This blog is going to get really boring if I am forced to use only my own recipes!! However I will not accept any recipes that in any way refer to rivals of the UGA Bulldogs. ;)

Monday, August 14, 2006


Pot Pie Posted by Picasa

The old standby...

I made pot pie tonight...and i wanted to post the recipe-we probably eat this meal more than any other. It makes a nice traditional pot pie with creamy gravy, lots of veggies and tender chicken. It also makes two 8x8 pans, so you get two meals in one cooking session. The pies freeze really well also. Here's the recipe which I originally got from my mother in law-
Betty's Pot Pie:

1 whole chicken
3 stalks of celery chopped
5 potatoes peeled and chopped
4-5 carrots peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 stick of butter or margarine
2/3 cup flour
2 bullion cubes
1 cup milk
store bought pie crusts (comes in pkg of two)

Boil the chicken (unless you are using leftover chicken, which is also fine). Take it out of water and let cool. Boil potatoes, celery, peas and carrots in leftover chicken broth until tender. (time depends on how big/small you chopped the veggies...i like mine on the big side, so it takes about 20 minutes). While you are waiting, debone chicken. Drain vegetables reserving 3 1/2 cups of the broth in a separate container. In the pot that you cooked the chicken and vegetables, melt the butter over med. heat. Whisk in the flour until completly mixed in. Cook for one more minute. Add bullion cubes. Slowly add in the reserved chicken broth and milk whisking constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Arrange chicken and vegetables in two 8X8 baking pans, or one 9x13 pan. Pour the gravy on the top and cover with pie crusts. Cut a few slits in the crust to vent, and pinch down the edges. Bake at 400 for about 45 minutes, or until the top is nice and brown.

Yummy Challah Bread!! Posted by Picasa

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Challah Bread

Wow! I just found the greatest recipe for Challah bread...it is super easy...especially if you have a food processor. The recipe came from a Paula Deen cookbook that I borrowed. The recipe involves mixing up a few ingredients, which took about 15 minutes, and then two rounds of letting the dough rise. When the bread came out it was delicious! It was very soft and had a slightly sweet taste to it. On top of that, it was actually very pretty! (in spite of the fact that my "braid" was a bit lopsided!). Anyway, here's the recipe-I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!! I made a few changes and added some tips to the original recipe.

Challah Bread:

You need:
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 3/4 cup flour, half bread half all purpose
1 envelope of active dry yeast
2 eggs beaten, plus one for spreading on top
1/4 cup vegetable oil


Dissolve dry yeast in one cup of warm water for 10 minutes. While you are waiting on this, combine salt, sugar and flour in food processor. After the yeast is ready add it to the food processor. Then add eggs and oil. Process until dough forms a ball on the steel processor blade. This makes a pretty sticky dough, but if it seems TOO sticky, you can add a teaspoon or two more flour. Place the dough in a well greased bowl (i use crisco) and turn once to coat. Cover with a towel and let rise in a draft free place (i use my cold oven) for about 1 and 1/2 hours. (until double). Punch it down and divide it into three long skinny logs. Braid these together, tucking ends underneath. (this took me a while to figure out a nice way to braid it...luckily the dough didn't mind so much handling!). Let this rise on a cookie sheet or pizza stone if you have it for another hour. preheat oven to 350. Brush top of risen dough with beaten egg. bake for about 30 minutes.