Exceedingly Mundane

I made a new recipe last night and we both really liked it. It’s really just a sweet potato casserole, but I really like the addition of the applesauce. I will do anything I can to sneak more fruit into our diets. I love to eat fruit, and often add dried fruit to my oatmeal, but Tim is basically a fruit non-believer. He barely touches it all year long, and he normally won’t eat any foods with fruit as the ingredients. He liked this though, and then informed me “I like applesauce!”. 🙂 Well, I didn’t even know!

This is from the Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook I checked out of the library a few weeks ago. Very simple, but it has a good taste. I followed the recipe exactly (except I used 2 large sweet potatoes for us, not 3), and the only thing I might do differently next time is use a chunky applesauce. I had a plain one open and after baking, it was just a little on the runny side. Not bad and we certainly ate it, but next time I might try a thicker applesauce. Enjoy!

* Exported from MasterCook *

Applesauce-Sweet Potato Bake

Recipe By :Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook, page 100
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Side Dishes Vegetables

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 pound dark-orange sweet potatoes (about 3 medium)
1 cup applesauce
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

In a 3 quart saucepan, place sweet potatoes; add enough water (salted, if desired) to cover. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 30 to 35 minutes or until tender; drain. Remove skins; cut each sweet potato lengthwise in half.

Heat oven to 375º In an ungreased 2 quart casserole or an 8 inch square baking dish, place sweet potatoes, cut side up. Spread applesauce over sweet potatoes.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon; sprinkle over applesauce. Dot with butter. Cover; bake about 30 minutes or until hot.

NOTE: You can substitute one 17 oz can of vacuum-packed sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise in half, for the fresh sweet potatoes and skip Step 1.

NOTE: For a festive topping, why not try sprinkling the sweet potatoes with one of these toppings – dried cranberries, miniature marshmallows, toasted coconut, toasted pecans or almonds, french fried onion rings or crushed croutons

Stacy’s Notes – Made this November 2006. We really liked it! I used 2 fairly large sweet potatoes and boiled them until tender, then peeled them using a spoon. I used a metal 8×8 pan (so it would fit in my toaster oven), and did everything else the same. Next time, try using a chunky applesauce (as it was a teeny bit runny after cooking). This was good and had a good flavor, a definite keeper. 🙂

It’s that time of the week again, to post our menus and check out the other ones at OrgJunkie ‘s blog. My menu is going to be up in the air yet again this week! Last week it was the Thanksgiving holiday, and now this week, my husband is off on vacation for the whole week. It’s his birthday and he is taking off to play golf and go hunting. I don’t know which day he will do which and be here to eat (he hunts at his family’s land). So, my menu is fairly tentative. 🙂

Here’s the general idea for the week:

Sunday – We had Buffalo wings with this blue cheese dip for lunch, and breakfast burritos for supper.

Monday – Cook’s Night off (hunting for Tim, he’ll eat at his folks, I’ll probably have cereal!)

Tuesday – Herbed Turkey Breast, new recipe for sweet potato dish, veggie

Wednesday – Tim’s birthday – ribeyes, potato, salad, bread

Thursday – Probably another hunting trip – Free Night for me!

Friday – our football team’s conference championship is on TV – Taco Soup or we’ll order pizza 😉

Saturday – out of town for hunting/family stuff

Sunday – Game Day food – probably burgers this week 😀

I was in the kitchen a lot on Monday, and will be again on Wednesday. I hope to stay out of it some today! 🙂

Monday, I made a new recipe for a crockpot Butternut Squash soup. It received mixed reviews at our house. (BTW, I’ll post the recipe on the extended entry, in case you are interested.) 🙂 It was a really good soup, but it was just a pureed soup that I served with a salad and bread. I had a feeling that wouldn’t be enough for Tim, and I was right. He commented that the soup was good, but “it needs some kind of meat” 😀 He had to have a really big salad, with lots of “crunchies” in it, to offset the pureed soup. He kept telling me that the soup was good, and he was really glad I tried new things, but that it was a “texture” thing for him. I really liked the soup, and that was enough for me with bread. It had a really good, rich flavor, I’m assuming from the butternut squash. This was my first time to ever buy and use butternut squash, much less taste it. The only thing I would do differently is maybe use a little less cream cheese, as it was a really rich and thick soup.

Here’s what mine looked like, I toasted some walnuts to serve on top:

If I was a really ambitious cook, I might make this again, and then have it as a first course to a “regular” meal that includes meat, for Tim. But, unfortunately, I’m not that kind of cook. I make soups and stews this time of year as the main course, the entree, not as a starter. Too much work for me for just one course!

If you want to check out the recipe (it really is a good soup!), it’s on the extended page. Just click to see…

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of the week again, to post our menus and check out the other ones at OrgJunkie ‘s blog. My menu is going to be really up in the air this week, with the Thanksgiving holiday, and the fact that my husband wants to go hunting, but he’s not sure when and which days. Hunting season always throws a kink in my menu planning 🙂

Here’s the general idea for the week, but a lot of these may not make it on the table this week and will be pushed to next week.

Have a great week everyone, and a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Monday – new recipe for a Crockpot Butternut Squash soup, salad, bread

Tuesday – Chicken Soft Tacos (using this recipe for doing the meat in the crockpot), refried beans

Wednesday – this may or may not happen! I have to make my Broccoli Casserole to take to our family get-together, and my dad may or may not be here. Anyway, the plan is to make Golden Potato Soup for supper

Thursday – Thanksgiving get-together with my husband’s extended family. Probably 60-80 people will be there!

Friday – not sure, if hunting is involved, I probably won’t be here to cook. Otherwise, I’ll make Taco Soup

Saturday – TBD / Spaghetti

Sunday – Game Day food – buffalo wings, blue cheese dip, chips and dip

Sandra, over at Diary of a SAHM mom, sponsors this great recipe meme each week. Be sure to go over and check out Sandra’s lovely blog, and also check out this week’s entries… I love seeing the recipes and getting ideas for new things to try in my crockpot! Click here for this week’s entries.

My entry this week is something I have made once before in my West Bend Slow Cooker. The West Bend is something my mom gave me before she passed away and I use it often, because it’s a good size for the two of us. I often use it instead of my crockpot, but I also use them interchangeably. This is a recipe I sort of threw together, and combined ideas from other recipes I had seen. We love bratwurst this time of year, on Game Days, and we always have sauerkraut with it. I had some sauerkraut left over one Monday and decided to try it with two pork chops for us. It came out pretty well. I made this last fall and I probably need to make it again soon 🙂

Stacy’s Crockpot Pork Chops & Sauerkraut

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
2 bone-in pork chops
1 – 32 oz bag sauerkraut — squeezed dry
1/2 medium onion — thinly sliced
caraway, thyme — to taste
1/2 cup apple juice (see notes)
1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:
Brown chops in olive oil in a skillet (I seasoned mine with salt, pepper, dash Tony’s and garlic powder). Transfer to sprayed West Bend slow cooker. Lay thinly sliced onions on top of chops, then cover with sauerkraut. Sprinkle with a dash of caraway (we don’t like much) and thyme. Add a dash of refrigerated minced garlic. Pour chicken broth and apple juice (1/2 to 3/4 cup) over all. Cook on setting 3.5 for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

NOTE: About half way through cooking, I thought it was getting dry and so I added a little more apple juice. Tim commented that, although it tasted really good as it was, he would like a little less apple flavor. So, next time don’t add more apple juice, maybe try a bit more chicken broth instead.

Stacy’s Notes: Made this from 3 different recipes that I combined. Cooked in the West Bend all afternoon and served with boiled potatoes and wheat rolls. Really good and it filled us up! 🙂

P.S. I’m sure you could easily double this, but since I only cook for two, I have never tried 🙂

I checked this new cookbook out of my local library, and ended up renewing it, because it was such fun to look at, and had so many recipes I wanted to copy out of it. I had it six weeks and I must say that the procrastinator in me won out. I had so many recipes I wanted to enter into my Mastercook. I only entered 25 of them, but I did make copies of an additional 8 or 9 recipes, that I just need to sit down and enter later.

This seemed to be a really good all-around cookbook, although its main focus is Christmas (obviously!). The sections include: Glorious Appetizers and Holiday Cheer, The Main Event (entrees), Candy Cane Lane (candies and cookies), Holiday Breads, Joyful Desserts, Gifts to Give and Santa’s Workshop. The Gifts to Give section contained a lot of extra sweet recipes like fudge, toffee, truffles, caramels, nut brittles, caramel corn, rum balls, as well as traditional jar and mix type gifts (sauces, jams, cookie and drink mixes and a soup mix). The Santa’s Workshop section contains more fun things like snack mixes, sandwich cookies, peppermint wands, marshmallow dip, fondue, smoothies, and all kinds of cute cookies to cut out or decorate, to leave for Santa. I didn’t even copy down any of the recipes from these last two sections, but I got several appetizer, entree and dessert recipes. I’ll list the ones I saved, and if you’re interested in one, you can just email me and I’ll be glad to send it to you. Just remember, I have not tried any of these recipes yet, so I can’t vouch for them!

I hated to return it to the library, but my “double” check-out time had come to an end. They were gracious enough to renew my initial check-out, and I kept it twice as long as I should have. I’m sure other people will be glad to see it back on the “New Books” shelf at my local library 🙂

Click on the extended entry to see a listing of the recipes I copied for my own use…

Read the rest of this entry »

Last night’s dinner was really good! I was in a picture-taking mood, so I took pictures 🙄 I took a bunch of Beau too, and I might post those later. I know everybody wants to see more doggie pictures!

As posted on the weekly menu, last night we had Beef and Barley Soup and I made half a batch of Parmesan Cheese Muffins:

I’m looking forward to the leftovers for lunch today!

Many thanks to Sandra, over at Diary of a SAHM mom, for sponsoring this each week. Be sure to go over and check out Sandra’s lovely blog, and also check out this week’s entries… everyone has been posting lots of yummy sounding recipes lately! Click here for this week’s entries.

My entry this week is a wintertime meal I love to make in my crockpot. I hope to make it soon, I just need to work it into my menu. We love this stew! (As always, be sure to read my notes, I often make changes and try to note what I did)

Chicken Stew Over Biscuits

2 envelopes chicken gravy mix
2 cups water
3/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
2 garlic cloves — minced
1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules — (1 to 2)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
5 medium carrots — cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large onion — cut into eight wedges
1 boiler/fryer chicken (3-4 pounds) cut up (see notes)
3 Tablespoons flour
1/3 cup cold water
1 tube refrigerated biscuits
potatoes — if desired (see notes)

In a slow cooker, combine gravy mix, water, wine or broth, garlic, parsley, bouillon and pepper until blended. Add the carrots, onion and chicken. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Increase heat to high. In a small bowl, combine the flour and cold water until smooth: gradually stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Meanwhile, bake biscuits according to package directions. Place biscuits in soup bowls, top with stew.

Stacy’s Notes: I used a “Pick of the Chick” – assorted skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces, chicken broth, diced & peeled red potatoes, and cornstarch instead of the flour. I put in the diced potatoes after about 6-7 hours. I took the chicken pieces out after about 7-8 hours, took off the skin and meat off the bone, then added it back with the cornstarch mixture. Cooked about 45 min – 1 hr on high while I made bisquick biscuits in the toaster oven. We really liked this! 🙂

Source: adapted from Quick Cooking magazine

After several weeks of only making “tried and true” recipes, I have finally broken out of my same-ole, same-old mode and made a couple of new things. Yesterday, I tried a new recipe for a Crockpot Cranberry Chicken, which we both liked. It has sort of a sweet and savory taste to it and we both really liked it. I will do that one again. I didn’t take a picture, sorry. It wasn’t the prettiest dish, but it tasted good, and that is all that counts in this household! The sauce/gravy was good, and we had it over no-yolk egg noodles, with some steamed fresh green beans on the side (which I spritzed with fat-free butter spray, and then sprinkled on some salt and lemon pepper). I think the beans were my favorite part 🙂

This morning, I made a new recipe for a Baked Oatmeal. Tim, as expected, wouldn’t eat it, but I really really liked it. I had made one version (recipe here) a couple of years ago and it was good, but this one looked easier and so I decided to try it. I am trying to eat more oatmeal, and eat a little better overall. It’s always a lot easier on me to eat oatmeal in the fall and winter, when it’s cooler. In the summer, I just want my bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch or Cheerios with skim milk in the morning. Nothing hot. But this time of year, I love eating oatmeal. I bought some milled flax seed the other day in the grocery store, and am trying to sprinkle some of that on my oatmeal, to be a little extra healthy. I didn’t add any to this recipe, but I might try some next time. It was really good, and very filling. I have a bunch left for breakfast for me for the rest of the week. I will just take a square out, pop it in the microwave, and voila, hot oatmeal

P.S. The recipes are listed on the main website at Hambones.org (just click on the links above), so feel free to check them out. I must mention that I got both of these recipes from the message boards at the Cooking Light website. I always find a lot of really good recipes there, and I like reading all the feedback and comments there. The same with AllRecipes.com, I like to see what other people, “real” people, thought and what they changed or modified about the original recipe.

I blogged briefly yesterday about the black bean chili that I was going to make for supper. It was chilly and blustery here yesterday, and I had homemade bread rising, so chili seemed like the perfect complement to that. I should have taken a picture of the chili in the pot, but we were too hungry and we just dove right in and I never thought about it!

So, the Black Bean Chili is my submission for today’s Favorite Ingredient Friday meme, sponsored by Overwhelmed with Joy. Check out her beautiful blog for other participants.

Beefy Black Bean Chili

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground round (or ground turkey)
2 15 oz cans no salt added black beans — undrained
1 cup medium or hot chunky style salsa
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili seasoning mix
low fat sour cream — optional
shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese — optional
tortilla chips — optional

Directions

Cook meat in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until meat is browned, stirring until it crumbles. Drain, if necessary.

While meat cooks, drain and mash 1 can of beans. Add mashed beans, undrained beans, salsa, tomato sauce and seasoning mix to saucepan. Stir well. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Spoon into serving bowls. Top with additional toppings, if desired.

NOTE: Original recipe says it makes 7 – 1 cup servings, but who eats 1 cup of chili for a main dish?! She noted that this was about 4 good servings. She used one can of black beans and one can of seasoned pinto beans with liquid, Newman’s salsa and Penzey’s chile powder, and also added some Penzey’s chipotle powder.

Stacy’s Notes – Made October 2003. This was quick, and really good! Used 1 pound ground chuck and 2 cans black beans as directed. I used 1 cup of On the Border brand salsa, about 1 1/2 tablespoons of chili seasoning from a packet, and a pinch or two of chipotle powder. Served with tortilla chips (fat free), sour cream and shredded cheddar. Also, I used 1 can plain tomato sauce and one can of roasted garlic flavored sauce. A definite keeper!

Source: Cooking Light message board

Sandra, over at Diary of a SAHM mom, sponsors this each week. Be sure to go over and check out Sandra’s lovely blog, and also check out this week’s entries… everyone has been posting lots of yummy sounding recipes lately! Click here for this week’s entries.

This week, I’m going to post another oldie but goodie. I haven’t made this in a while, but will probably make it soon, now that cooler weather is upon us. It’s not gourmet by any stretch of the imagination, just good comfort food. My husband likes me to make cornbread with this, and we just crumple our cornbread in the bowl and top it with this beans and sausage concoction. (As always, be sure to read all of my notes at the bottom!!! I have made changes to this one, and tried different beans and sausages)

Have a great day everyone!

Crockpot Four Beans And Sausage

Ingredients:
1 – 15 oz can drained Great Northern Beans
1 – 15.5 oz can rinsed drained black beans
1 – 16 oz can drained red kidney beans
1 – 15 oz can drained butter beans (see notes, can use different beans)
1 1/2 cups ketchup — see notes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green pepper — chopped
1 pound cooked smoked sausage — cut in 1/2″ slices
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic — minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low 9 to 10 hours, or on high 4 to 5 hours.

Stacy’s Notes – Made June 03. I used canned great northern beans, black and red kidney beans, 1 can french cut green beans, and 1 box frozen baby lima beans. I used 1 pkg of our deer sausage and about 1 cup ketchup and everything else the same except no bell pepper. I cooked this in the crockpot on HIGH for about 3 hours, then turned to low. I served over a wild rice combo but Tim didn’t like the rice. He just ate it plain in a bowl, and he suggested that I make cornbread to go with it next time. So that’s what I do now, make cornbread for Tim, and if I’m ambitious, I make brown rice for me too! 🙂

More Stacy’s Notes – I have made this many times since originally posting the above notes. I have used different combinations of beans, but usually use a can of Italian cut Green Beans, Great Northern, black and red kidney beans. Sometimes I substitute frozen for the canned (baby limas, green beans). If I don’t have deer link sausage, I use Healthy Choice turkey sausage. This is definitely not gourmet, but very good comfort food. 🙂 Enjoy!

Source: Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook, page 208

I’ve blogged before about making homemade bread. My sister Gail brought me some sourdough starter earlier in the year, and I’ve gotten into a routine of making bread for us once a week ever since then. I have only bought one loaf of store-bought bread since then, and that’s when we got back from vacation, before I had a chance to make bread. The sourdough starter she brought me uses potato flakes, and we really like it. I try to make it a little healthier by using some wheat flour mixed with the white bread flour. Currently, I’m using 1/3 wheat to 2/3 white. I am probably kidding myself that it’s better for us, but hey, I try 😀

Anyway, I started using my Kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook to mix the dough, and I really love doing that. I won’t go back to mixing the dough by hand and with a wooden spoon. The mixer does all the work for me and just makes it so much easier. I have also bought 2 nice Calphalon metal loaf pans, and I think they are working out better than the Kitchenaid silicone bread pans I was using.

I baked bread last night and when the loaves came out of the oven, Tim said “Wow! I think those are the best loaves yet!” And then he said, “You should take a picture of them” 😀 So, I had to take a picture!!! We sprayed the tops with some fat free butter spray right after they came out, and then took a couple of pictures. We were both pretty proud of the bread this week 🙄

P.S. I love making bread all year round, but I really love it this time of year. There’s something very comforting to me about smelling bread baking in the oven and eating it hot out of the oven, with butter spread on it. (Something very fattening about it to). I want to get my bread machine out and make different kinds of bread and dough, and branch out and make some other breads, but Tim is adamant about me sticking to this sourdough recipe. He loves his bread and every time I bring up trying something else, he will say “you can make you some other bread if you want, but I just want the sourdough” 😀

Sandra, over at Diary of a SAHM mom, sponsors this each week. Be sure to go over and check out Sandra’s lovely blog, and also check out this week’s entries… everyone has been posting lots of yummy sounding recipes lately! Click here for this week’s entries.

This week, I’m going to post an oldie but a goodie. I don’t make this very often, since I try to limit our intake of red meat. But, my husband dearly loves this roast. I’ve done roasts many ways, but this is by far our favorite. I also make some homemade buns to serve this on (recipe here) – be sure to check out the recipe for the hamburger buns if you have a bread machine. It could not be easier!

French Dip (Beef Au Jus)

Ingredients
1 – 3 pound eye or rump roast — see notes
1 package dry au jus gravy mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper (1/4 to 1/2)

Directions

Place roast in slow cooker. Prepare gravy according to package directions and pour over roast.

Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in.

Cover and cook on low 6 hours. After 6 hours remove meat and trim fat. Shred meat and return to slow cooker, cooking until desired tenderness. Add more water if roast is not covered with liquid when returning to cooker.

Stacy’s Notes: Made this Feb 2003. A definite keeper, it was delicious and very easy. I had a 2.5 lb sirloin tip roast in the freezer, so I used that. I sprinkled on liberal amounts of garlic & onion powders, salt and pepper and didn’t measure. Shredded meat and returned to mixture for about 1/2 hour to heat through. I didn’t have to add any extra liquid. Served this with homemade wheat hamburger buns.

Source: Fix It and Forget It cookbook, page 103

It’s dreary and raining here today, even though it’s not very chilly. It’s in the 70’s this afternoon, but it has been drizzling and raining here off and on all day. I already had stew planned for today’s menu, but it worked out really well with the weather. Now that fall and winter are upon us, I’m going to try to make soup once a week. Normally, I will try to make soup on Thursdays, to go along with the homemade bread that I make then also. Nothing like homemade soup with hot bread fresh out of the oven (slathered in butter, of course). But, this week, I’m going to “let” Tim grill me a steak on Thursday. My birthday is Wednesday, but he has to weigh in at the office on his weight loss group on Thursday mornings, so I don’t want to sabotage his hard work by overindulging on Wednesday night. I’ll gladly wait until Thursday to eat a big juicy ribeye 😀

So, we’re having beef stew tonight… can’t wait! We’ll be watching the football game too. We were watching 7th Heaven, but they moved the darn thing to Sunday nights. Can’t watch it then, we have Amazing Race on, and another game too. Football is very important, you know 😆

Overwhelmed with Joy sponsors this recipe meme every Friday. Last week, she very kindly invited me to play along. I don’t have a lot of recipes that are 5 ingredients or less, but I do have one that I make all the time. It’s so easy, it’s not even really a recipe, more of an idea 🙂

It’s called Crockpot Shredded Chicken and it’s just 3 ingredients. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, taco seasoning and salsa. We use this for all sorts of meals – I use it for enchiladas, we make Mexican wraps or soft chicken tortillas with the meat, and my favorite, a salad. Instead of using ground meat or ground turkey for a taco salad, I’ll use this chicken meat, and we’ll layer the salad the same way (lettuce, fat free tortilla chips, beans, salsa, avocado if I have it, cheese, sour cream, etc). We call it a chicken taco salad, and we like it! 🙂

Crockpot Shredded Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breast — frozen (2-3)
1/2 package taco seasoning mix (more if using more breasts)
1 cup salsa (enough to cover if using more meat)

Directions
Spray crockpot liner. Place 2-3 frozen boneless chicken breasts in bottom and sprinkle taco seasoning over the top of them. Cover with salsa. Cook on high 2-3 hours until done. Remove breasts and shred using 2 forks or knife and fork. Return meat mixture to pan to mix with salsa mixture and heat through.

Doubles or triples easily!