Monday, Monday....

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!  I hope all the dad's in your lives had a great day too!  But one question comes to mind after each Father's Day: Why does it seem that Father's Day gets stretched to include the entire weekend?  hmmmm Mothers we must protest.  No more just a couple Subway sandwiches for us will suffice!  (not that I dislike Subway or anything), let's go for the gusto and request a meal that will be unforgettable.  What shall we have?  Steak and shrimp scampi, lasagna, meatballs in sauce,  or linguine with clams?  For some reason all of these recipes sound very familiar? Oh I know, I just made them for my husband.  I think I better just request a big double scoop ice cream sundae with marshmallow and raspberries from the local ice cream stand.  I will be very happy just the same and no messy kitchen to clean up either.  My thighs might begin to jiggle a little bit more but oh so worth it on that glorious day we call Mother's Day. ;)

On to today's recipe, I hope you enjoy this one:

Cube Steak with Gravy

The Players: (photo should include a small onion).

Remove any excess fat from cubed steaks  & cut to size; season:

Meanwhile begin to heat oil over medium heat:

Dredge cubed steaks in seasoned flour:

Carefully place cubed steaks into the oil in the pan:

Brown meat on one side; turn to second side, add water and boullion:

Add sliced onion; cover:

All done:

Cubed Steaks and Gravy

1-2 packages cubed steaks, cut to serving size (usually 1 package contain 2-3 large cubed steaks) Shown here was one package with 3 large steaks.

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. garlic powder (opt)

1/2 cup flour, or more as needed to coat meat

3 beef boullion cubes

1/2-1 cup of water

1 small onion, sliced into rings or minced, dried onion

canola oil

Here's How:

Prepare cubed steaks by cutting into desired serving size pieces.  Season meat with salt and pepper as desired, season both sides of meat.

Slice onion into small to medium width rings.

Put about 1/2 to 1 cup flour onto a plate or flat type bowl.  Season with garlic powder if using.

Begin to preheat oil in pan over medium heat, adding just enough oil to lightly cover bottom of pan.

Dredge cubed steaks into seasoned flour, coating each side. Shake off excess flour.

Add cubed steaks to oil in pan.  You can crowd them a little bit in pan as they will shrink.

Cook cubed steaks over medium heat for aproximately 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned.

Turn cubed steaks over to second side, if there is an excess amount of oil remaining, carefully drain.  After 2 minutes or so on second side, add beef boullion cubes and just enough water to go half-way up the sides of the meat.  Move them around a little bit in the water/gravy that is being made to distribute a little bit of the flour into the gravy. 

Cover and let simmer on medium  heat for 20 minutes.  Check to make sure there is enough water in pan, add more if necessary, usually it is necessary to add additional water but start out with a small amount, add as needed.  You will usually only have to add additional water once.  Continue cooking, reduce heat to medium low until meat is tender and onions are fork tender.  Depending on thickness of cubed steaks this could take an additional 15 minutes. 

Transfer cubed steaks to serving dish; keep warm.

Over low heat mix gravy in pan to incorporate, heat through.  Pour into serving dish.

Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles and a vegetable.

Enjoy!

Evelyn

Oven Beef

This is probably more of a feel good, tummy warming, I want more in the cooler weather sort of meal but we enjoyed it the other evening just the same.  And, truth be told, it was pretty chilly here in Chicagoland.  I do not have a recipe, I made it up as I was cooking.  This is one of my Mom's go-to recipes so you know how Mom's can sometimes be "Throw in a little of this, a lot of that and salt and pepper, then throw the whole thing in the oven".  Yep, that is about it.  So I made my own recipe to share.

Oven Beef  (I would like to have a fancier name, but nope, nothing has come to me yet, I will let you know).

The Players:

Not much prep required; this is a really good thing:

Bake covered in oven and serve: 

Oven Beef

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds stew meat, trimmed and cut into serving size pieces

salt, pepper to taste


1 small bag baby carrots, washed if necessary

1 package Lipton Dry Onion Soup mix

1 cup sliced raw mushrooms or 1 jar whole mushrooms, drained

2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I prefer Campbell's)

1/4 tsp. garlic powder or to taste

1 pkg. flat noodles, cooked and drained  (optional)

The easy-peasy how to, you will love this, almost a night off, well not even close but you get the idea.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Prepare stew meat by trimming any excess fat, some is okay.  Rinse meat; pat dry.

Put meat in a large oven-proof casserole or dutch oven.

Add spices to meat, mix to distribute the spices.

Prepare mushrooms, if using fresh, by wiping away any visible dirt.

Add mushrooms, carrots and the soups; mix well to coat meat; make sure the dry soup mix is blended well. 

Cover dutch oven with lid.

Place dutch oven (or oven-proof casserole dish) in oven on middle rack. 

Bake for 3-4 hours, stirring half way through baking time. 

You can increase the oven temperature to reduce cooking time.  Also, check for doneness, depending on the amount of meat you are using, baking time may vary.

If using, prepare noodles according to package directions towards the end of cooking time for the oven beef.  Keep warm until serving. 

Your kitchen will smell wonderful as this is cooking. 

Left-overs are great too. 

Have a great day everyone!

Enjoy,

Evelyn

Brownie lovers come on in..

Hi all!

Well, if there is a time to laugh at me it will be now.  I am going to post a recipe that is so utterly simple you will think I have lost my mind and actually have nothing better to do with my time and yours, except to post this.  But just wait until you try these brownies,  people really will think you slaved over the hot oven to mix these up from scratch.  It will be our little secret, that is how well received these little (or big) depending on if you cut them like I do or in tiny little portions while everyone is looking, then later cut a big chunk for yourself.  Not that I have done this or anything but just saying.  After all we deserve it, we worked so hard making these little pieces of chocolate, dare I say, heaven? 

Here we go, get your pencils ready for this shopping list:

Let's bake some Brownies.

The Players:

Yes that's it.  The trick to these "tastes like made from scratch brownies" is...
I read somewhere that that symbol of three or more periods in a sentence is the most overused punctuation on the internet.  There is a name for it but the name escapes me right now, as so many things are wont to do lately.  But, I digress.  The trick is combining two brownie mixes.   Very important, one must be a Ghirardelli brand mix.  The secret is out!

Mix both mixes together, following package directions:

Pour brownie mix into a 13x9" pan:

Bake until set:

Allow to cool or you will have a gooey, chocolatey mess on your knife:

Well, what do you think?  They really are good and here is another secret, I am not a chocoholic but I do like these, a lot.  Almost as much as my husband or a new little puppy.  :)

Brownies

Ingredients:

1 18.75 Oz. box of Ghirardelli Chocolate, Chocolate Brownie Mix
    (any variety is fine, I used the Chocolate Supreme this time)

1/4  cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

Additional brownie mix make sure it will make 13x9 pan size brownies, it should be labeled as such on the front of the box.  This is what I used this time:

1 19.5 oz. box Family Size Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

2 eggs


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl mix one brownie mix according to package directions starting with the 13x9 brownie mix.  Mix well. 

Mix Ghiardelli mix according to package directions.  Mix well.  Add this mixture to the 1st brownie mix batter.  Mix well.

Grease the bottom of a 13x9 pan with vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray. 

Pour mix evenly into pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees checking after 35 minutes.  These brownies are thicker than your usual brownies so additional baking time will be required.  Turn the pan in the oven about half way through the baking time.  Continue baking until sides pull away from side of pan just slightly and center is set.  You can check by inserting a knife in center.  It should come out clean.  Continue baking until desired doneness.  It can take an additional 15 minutes of baking time.  Just be patient and keep checking on them. 

Allow to cool for at least an hour, if you can wait that long.  Cut into squares and enjoy. 

Let me know what you think. 

Additionally, I have to thank my friend Yo who gave me this top-secret recipe.  Thanks Yo. 

Enjoy!

Evelyn

Pasta E Fagioli

Wow!  Black Hawks fever has hit our great State big-time.  Congratulations to the Chicago Black Hawks Stanley Cup win!  Hurray!  Truth be told, I am not really a big sports fan but gosh once a city is involved in play-offs, I am all over it.  lol  Love the excitement around town even way out here, way north of the city of Chicago.  Now down to business.

Today let's make Pasta E Fagioli.  It is quick and easy but really very good.  I mix it up a little bit from the original recipe but I stayed pretty true to the Progresso soup recipe.  Okay so here goes:

Pasta E Fagioli

The Ingredients:

Brown the onion, garlic and hamburger in vegetable oil until juices run clear:

Drain and rinse cannellini beans:

Add remaining ingredients except for macaroni and the cheese:

Heat to boiling, then simmer:

Add macaroni, cook until tender:

Serve piping hot in bowl, top soup with cheese:

Ingredients:

1/4 pound ground beef (this is when I use up that little bit of left-over meat) opt.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 carton chicken broth (Progresso preferred your favorite brand is fine)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (dried is fine too)
1 teaspoon basil leaves, crushed
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni (4 ozs.)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a 3 quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add hamburger (if using), garlic and onion, cook until juices run clear, drain.  Return meat, onion and garlic mixture to pot.

Add remaining ingredients except macaroni and cheese.  Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove cover; increase heat to high.  Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add macaroni; cook 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.  Sprinkle each serving with cheese. 

Note: If you have trouble finding the beans at your grocery store, check both the canned vegetable area as well as the area where the kidney beans are kept.  I have gotten them at our local grocery stores as well as Trader Joe's. 
Enjoy!

Evelyn

Beef Brisket

Good Morning everyone!

This was the first time I had made a beef brisket.  I was at Sam's Club or Costco, one of them and overheard  two women talking about how great their beef brisket was each bragging to the other how theirs was the best.  I thought for a moment I was going to have to break up a fist fight between too elderly women!  They were standing there waiting for the beef brisket choices to be placed in the meat section.  Well, between the competition taking place next to me and the meat being placed in the refrigerator, I got caught up in the shall we say, mayhem?  LOL  So there I was with a beef brisket I had no idea how to prepare and one that I had no intentions of purchasing in the first place.  So there it was me and a beef  brisket of all things!

Sooooo, here is what I did and it did turn out pretty darn good.  Not fist fight good but good just the same. lol  I hope you think so too, but if you have a recipe to share let me know and I will post it here too. 

The Players:

Here is the brisket with spices, some water and dry onion soup mix:

I did wrap pan with an aluminum foil covering and slow roasted in oven:

I know I am guilty of putting on a few pounds here lately but when I saw this photo I kept staring at those big hands and how the heck did I cut myself?   Thankfully, the hands were not mine but rather my husbands, boy thank goodness for that! I love his hands, don't get me wrong but you know what I mean. 

Tear the meat with two forks:

Add some of the broth to the meat whether you make it into a sandwich as we did, or if you are just eating the meat, adds a little extra flavor and moistness to the meat:

In my opinion I think each home should have a good loaf of crusty bread and some hard cheese on hand at all times.  Here's the bread I chose, it was a good choice too. Slice for sandwich:

Looks good enough to eat don't you think?   I must thank those two elderly women wherever they are, we enjoyed this meal.  Salad optional, fries are not:  :)

Here is my take on:  Beef Brisket:

1 beef brisket 3-5 pounds, your choice

Garlic and Onion Powders to taste

3-4 Beef Bouillon Cubes

1 packet Lipton Dry Onion Soup Mix

1  cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Provolone Cheese, sliced, a couple slices per sandwich (optional)

The How-To:

Wash brisket, trim away and excess fat (leave some intact), dry meat.  Drying the meat will allow the spices and soup to stick to the meat.  Place brisket in roasting pan. 

Top meat with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, then add Lipton Dry Onion Soup Mix. 

Add water to pan, just enough to come up about half way at the sides of the meat.  Add bouillon cubes to water, placing them separately in pan.

Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil to retain moisture. 

Place pan in pre-heated 250 degree oven.

Roast meat depending on size of roast, for aproximately 3 hours.  Checking for doneness/tenderness half way through cooking time.  Add more water if necessary.  Meat should be tender when pierced with a fork. 

Remove from oven, allow to cool.  Allowing the meat to cool for a little while will make it easier to tear and the juices will be retained in the meat.  

When roast is cool begin by tearing the meat with two forks, to shred.

Place meat on crusty bread, add some of the reserved cooking broth to meat.  Here in Chicago a number of fast food places add the juice to the bread also, your call on this one. 

You can add cheese, probably a nice white cheese such as Provolone would work well here. 

Enjoy!

Evelyn

Macaroni and Cheese

Hi all!

For tonight's recipe let's make a version of Macaroni and Cheese.  There are so many macaroni and cheese recipes out there on the www but this one is pretty darn good if I do say so myself.  This was my first attempt at making this casserole, it was easy to make and not too much of a mess in the kitchen, all good things in my opinion.  Here we go.

The Players:

In a large pot bring salted water to a boil; cook macaroni until al dente:

In another large pot (5-qt works well) melt butter, add onion:

Whisk in flour, whisk in milk, keep whisking, it builds character
and takes out any lumps:

Keep whisking.  In a slow, steady stream pour in milk:

Add cayenne, if using. 
Whisk until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon:

Add the cheeses and seasonings.  Mix well:

Toss pasta with cheese mixture (yes, that is my camera string, not in the pot though). 
Fold in ham if using:

Transfer to a 13"x9" baking dish, or any larger oven safe dish,  top with bread crumbs and bake.  Ohhhh baby.....

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

Coarse salt and ground pepper



1 pound elbow pasta


4 tablespoons butter


1 small onion, chopped


1/4 cup all-purpose flour


4 cups milk


1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)


1 1/4 cups shredded yellow cheddar cheese (5 ounces)


1 1/4 cups shredded white cheddar cheese (5 ounces)
(or all cheddar or cheeses that you prefer)


8 ounces ham, diced into 1/2-inch pieces (optional)

Panko bread crumbs, aproximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup, enough to cover top of your casserole dish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain and reserve.

Meanwhile, in a 5-quart heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in flour to coat onion. In a slow steady stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.



Cook, whisking often, until mixture is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in cayenne, if using, and 1 cup each yellow and white cheddar cheese. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.


Toss pasta with cheese mixture; fold in ham. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Toss together bread crumbs with remaining 1/4 cup each of cheese(s). Top pasta with breadcrumb mixture.

Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes.

(recipe adapted from a Fine Living recipe)

Have you grilled shish-ka-bob before?

We love the simplicity of making shish-ka-bob for grilling.  The marinated meat makes it tender and great for grilling, the vegetables are also really good prepared this way.  Give it a try, here is our take on this summer favorite. 

Shish-ka-bob
The Players:

I must apologize, the lighting in the kitchen seems very bright but this does not seem the case when the photos are transferred here.  Plus, I used my smaller camera for these photos.  I will work on better lighting.

Marinate the meat in the garlic and herb dressing mix, cut vegetables into fairly large, uniform sized chunks:

Place meat, vegetables and mushrooms on shish-ka-bob skewers:

Place on grill over hot coals:

All ready to eat in no time:

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 lbs. stew meat or chuck roast or the meat or chicken of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 packet dry salad dressing mix i.e. Garlic and Herb or 1 bottle of salad dressing
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Vinegar
Onion and garlic powder to taste on meat
1 large green pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
1 large red onion, cut into large chunks
1 jar whole mushrooms
1 can whole potatoes, drained but kept whole  (not pictured but any brand is fine)
small or cocktail size  tomatoes can be used also

The How-To:

Prepare meat by cutting into chunks, rinse and pat dry, place into a large bowl. 

Mix marinade/salad dressing according to package directions (omitting the water), in a medium sized jar or in a bowl; mix well.  If using a bottled dressing just pour over meat to cover.

Pour dressing over meat to marinate for at least one hour, longer is better.  Also, if using a less expensive cut of meat the longer the marinating the better. 

If you prepare this in the morning for use at dinner, make sure to refrigerate.  Stir the meat and dressing mixture every 30 minutes or so to mix and marinate it all evenly.  If you make this before heading to work, just make sure the meat is fairly well covered by the marinade.  You may also use a large zip closure type bag adding meat and marinade to bag, refrigerate, turn bag often to coat.

When ready to grill make sure to get coals nice and hot, for a gas grill turn on to high heat.

Chop onion and green pepper to a uniform chunky size so the grilling time is going to be aproximately the same amount of time for each item.

Mushrooms and canned, whole potatoes are small enough to be kept whole.  

Place meat and vegetables on skewers alternating each item until skewer is filled. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and spices as desired.  The marinade will add flavor and tenderness to the meat.

If using a wood type skewer follow package directions and soak in water before use.

Place prepared skewers on hot grill.  Depending on size of meat chunks turn after about 10 minutes or when meat looks lightly browned.  Turn and grill for additional 10 minutes.  This is an estimated amount of time, times will vary according to grill heat and the preferred, desired doneness of the meat.

Remove skewers from grill and serve. 

Enjoy!

Evelyn

Two days in a row, I am on a roll!

Let's make Macaroni and Beef Casserole.  The real name of this recipe is "Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's Lipton Onion Soup Macaroni and Beef Casserole.  Who am I kidding?  No one, around here calls it that, here it was called,  "that macaroni casserole thingy you make", while the girls were all looking at me, hungry.  I am pretty sure the kids will like this one, not to name names, (Jeniece) was a very picky eater as a kid and she even liked this, so that is one great endorsement if you have a picky eater in the house, so let's get started. 

Here is what you will need:

Most of the preparation is done on the stove top.  Brown the hamburger, cook the macaroni until al dente, add remaining ingredients and simmer:

Transfer all to a baking dish, and heat through. Bake until cheese on top is lightly browned and casserole is bubbly:

Ready to eat ohhhh this is gonna be good, oh wait it is just breakast time for me, I better wait a reasonable amount of time so no one thinks I am a carb addict.  Never mind, come here you cheesy goodness, I have waited long enough. :) I should say something clever like "It is dinner time somewhere", but I would not know where to say it is actually dinner time, so let's leave it at this. 

Macaroni and Beef Casserole

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs. ground beef

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 tablespoon flour

1 (8oz) can tomato sauce


2 cups water

1 cup raw macaroni, cooked


¼ cup grated cheddar cheese (or more if you like it cheesy)


The How To:
In a large skillet, brown meat until juices run clear, drain off excess fat.
 
Stir in Lipton Onion Soup Mix, flour, tomato sauce and water.
 
Simmer covered 5 minutes.
 
Stir in cooked macaroni.
 
Turn into a 1 ½ quart casserole. Sprinkle with cheese.
 
 Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven.
 
I hope you find this delicious, filling and it leaves you wanting for more.  lol  Just a little cooking humor there. 
 
Enjoy and have a great day everyone!
 
Evelyn

I'm back! I think!

Hi everyone! 

Finally ready to begin blogging again.  The house is still under construction or some aspects remain to be completed but we are getting there.  Lots of new fixtures everywhere, the master bedroom, bath, guest bedroom, hall bath, family room and 99% of the kitchen are finished!  Some painting, trim work and a set of french doors are sitting in the entry area and need to be hung but all in all things have really progressed.  It is dare I say, beginning to look like home.

Happily, I have taken the time to bake, cook and take photos so here we go....

First up, a recipe I hinted about that was part of our Easter dinner.  It is called: 


Baked Ravioli

Heat olive oil in large saucepan, add onion and garlic, cook until slightly tender, season with salt and pepper:

Add thyme and tomatoes; simmer:

Note that this amount is double the recipe:

While sauce is simmering cook ravioli as package directs:

Sauce, ravioli and cheese combined before baking:

Baked and bubbly hot just before serving, mmmm those carbs are calling my name:

The recipe:

Baked Ravioli (adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (I use the pre-minced jarred garlic)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or oregano)
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
2 pounds store bought ravioli ( I chose the bagged, refrigerated Rosetto brand)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper, cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, this will take about 5 minutes.  Add thyme and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon, until sauce is thickened and reduced to about 5 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top.  The pasta will continue to cook in the oven.  Drain pasta; return to pot.

Toss sauce with pasta.  Pour pasta into a 13x9 inch baking dish, sprinkle with the cheeses.

Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool slightly before serving.

Note:
The family enjoyed this dish but in my opinion this recipe does not double well.  There was so much sauce I could hardly fit it in the larger baking dish and I did not think it thickened and reduced quite as well as it might have had I made only one recipe at a time.  If you make this one let me know how it came out for you by just making the one batch.  If you must double, follow directions for one batch, then make another for an additional dish. 

Enjoy!

Good to be back. 

Evelyn