Jello Dessert Stuff

This recipe is completely made up based on my memory of something I made a LONG time ago (maybe 6 years ago?) but couldn't find a recipe for.

No picture because I forgot.

Make raspberry jello (the big packages--6oz?) according to package instructions for jigglers. Open a can of mandarin oranges and pour the juice into the jello. Mix well then allow to cool for half and hour to 45 minutes to thicken. When the jello is thick (but not hard) drop in some mandarin oranges and blueberries. Stick back in the fridge to harden for a few hours.

While the jello is hardening, soften an 8oz package of cream cheese. Add 4-8oz of sour cream, half a cup of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. Mix until smooth (oh, Kitchenaid mixer, how I heart thee). Add a little whipped cream (the Cool Whip kind) if you want a thinner texture.

When the jello is set, slather the frosting on top. Thick is yummy. :-) The first time I made this, I froze it after spreading on the frosting. This time, I just refridgerated it because there wasn't enough time to freeze it before everyone wanted some.

Spicy Beef Stew

What do you get when you throw beautifully marbled beef short ribs, two carrots, three celery sticks, a carton of mushrooms, two potatoes, two cans of diced tomatoes (because you know I can't do the fresh ones), tomato paste, tobasco, red pepper flakes, a little salt, course ground pepper and beef broth into a slow cooker and leave it on while you sleep at night?

mmmm.....



The veggies were all soft but still had their flavor and the meat was soooo soft. This was so good I want to figure out how to make chowders.

Lasagna Rolls

aka Cheater Cannelloni/Manicotti





I threw 8-10 artichoke hearts into a mixing bowl and broke them up a little with a fork. Then I added a little over 16oz of ricotta, some garlic powder, italian seasoning, parsley and a little salt and course ground pepper. I forgot to add a beaten egg, which I always add to my cheese mixture in lasagna.




I cooked the lasagna until they were almost al dente then rinsed them in cold water. In a shallow baking dish, I poured a little bit of marinara sauce to keep the noodles from sticking to the bottom.

For the rolls, I broke a full lasagna noodle in half, spooned a little bit of the artichoke-ricotta mixture in and rolled it up. Tada!



On the left you can see one that I experimented with. I didn't rip the noodle in half and instead rolled the whole thing up. This yields VERY messy rolls that don't stay together.



Put them in the oven at 375 for 40min and they're done and super yummy. Next time I'll try them with a meat filling.

Makes 14-15 rolls

Mushroom Chicken Revisited

Instead of just chicken and mushroom soup, I marinated the chicken in beer (winter ale) and chicken seasoning.



After I added the mushroom soup, I topped it with cayenne pepper and fresh sage. 45min at 375 degrees later...

Sangria Beef

beef shoulder + red wine + orange juice + fruits + onions or shallots + whole garlic cloves + slow cooker + 3 hours = mmmmmmmmm

Steak Pasta...stuff

aka Using Leftovers Wisely





We had some leftover beef from something. This was a while ago, so I actually don't remember why. Anyway, I cut the beef up into strips, sauteed it in some olive oil until the pink was gone (undercooked meat scares me the second day). Then I added half a jar of tomato cream sauce that I had leftover from a previous dish.

Meanwhile I cooked up a leftover half a box of campanelle pasta (told you this was all leftovers). Once that was done, I mixed it all together. Simple and yummy.

Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict is my favorite way to eat eggs. Hollandaise sauce can be tricky, but it's so worth it!

I used 6 eggs yolks, a couple tablespoons of cold water, 1 cup butter (that's 2 sticks. sounds gross, I know, but I never said Hollandaise sauce was healthy! :-P), 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

I whisked together the egg yolks and the water in a metal bowl (because I don't have a double broiler) until it turned light and frothy. Then I put it the bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisked the mixture until it thickened. Be very careful here because if you don't keep the mixture moving you'll end up with scrambled eggs instead of sauce!

Next, while still whisking the eggs, I added the butter, lemon juice, salt and peppers. If the sauce gets too thick (as mine did), whisk in a tablespoon or so of warm water.

Pumpkin Pecan Pork Chops

Yummy experimental pork chops. (I know it looks yucky, but that's because it's a pic of a reheat the next day)


I marinated the pork chops in the usual mixture of soy sauce, olive oil, black pepper and 7-up plus I added some white wine. This would probably also work well with a beer in place of the soda and white wine.

Then I made a sauce using equal parts pumpkin pecan butter (thanks, manda!) and yellow mustard. Spicy brown mustard would probably be yummy, too. For four chops I made about two cups of sauce...or more. I'm not exactly sure. I added some worcestershire sauce, grill seasoning, black pepper and curry powder. I used masala curry powder from Fiji, which is a bit lighter than most curry powders I've used around here, so I'd recommend going light on the curry powder.

After the pork chops marinated for about an hour, I laid the chops on a baking sheet (on top of foil), spooned out some sauce on top of them, and baked them at 375 for half an hour.

Bacon and Mushroom Bread Stuffing

Before I started anything, I broke up half a loaf of sour dough bread. I say "broke up" because I was too lazy to cut the bread into cubes, so instead I cut the bread into slices a little less than half and inch thick. Then I ripped them into usable pieces. I spread the pieces out onto a cookie sheet, sprayed them with a little cooking spray and sprinkled them with garlic powder. Next I baked them at 325 for about 20min. Tadaa! Garlic croutons!

For the stuffing, first I sauteed some bacon--about 10-12 strips--until cooked through and almost crispy.

Then I took out the bacon with a slotted spoon, and **gasp** used the bacon fat to sautee a small, diced red onion, sliced mushrooms, chopped celery, and sausage (I used aidells portobello mushroom).

I added the onions first, let them clear then added the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms softened, I put in the celery. After I added the celery I added some dry white wine (I used Robert Mondavi 2006 dry riesling...because it was already opened and not completely gone yet). I'd say about half a cup to a cup.

I sauteed that for a while until the celery softened. Then I added some fresh chopped thyme and sage, sauteed for a couple minutes then added two cups of chicken broth. Once the broth was warm, I dumped in the croutons and mixed everything around until all the bread was sufficiently moist. I transfered it all into a casserole dish, layering parmesan and provolone cheese between layers of stuffing. To warm it all, I baked it for 30min at 375 (I think). :-)

Oreo Cookie Pie and Orange Chocolate Cupcakes

Oreo cookie pie. This one's super easy since it's a cold pie that you just stick in the fridge. I didn't want to deal with making the crust with them, so I bought a pre-made one. The pie filling is 1 pack/block of cream cheese, 1 cup sour cream, 1 tub of cool whip, half a cup of sugar, and (I think) half a pack of oreos. I don't know exactly how much we added because I just gave the kids a bunch of oreos to crush and added them until it looked like enough, saving some for topping. Then we refrigerated it for an hour...or two. We were watching Spy Kids, so I lost track of time. What I like about this pie was that it wasn't too sweet even though it's an oreo pie. The sour cream and cream cheese make it less sweet, but still yummy.








After the pie, we made orange-chocolate cupcakes with orange buttercream frosting. I made them orange, by mixing in orange juice in place of some of the milk in a regular chocolate cupcake recipe. I wanted to add candied orange, but I couldn't find any.

Chicken Soup

Thrown together:
Chicken legs and thighs, skinned
Carrots
Celery
Onions
Pasta
Spices--parsley, garlic powder




I was sick, and I really wanted some real chicken soup. Since I didn't have days to make the stock, I cheated a little. I took chicken legs and thighs and skinned them. Then I sauteed some onions, threw the chicken in with some pepper and garlic powder for seasoning, and browned the chicken a bit. Then I poured boiling water into it and let it simmer for 10-15min skimming off the yucky stuff as it came. Voila! I had chicken stock! Seriously, it tasted like regular, simmered for days chicken stock. The only problem with cooking it fast was that I couldn't let the stock cool to scrape off the fat/oil. I did my best, though.



I threw in some veggies and let the whole thing slow cook for a while (I actually don't remember how long, but it was long enough for the meat to be really soft and almost falling off the bone.) I cooked the pasta separately, though because I hate overcooked pasta.