hi all!

omg it has been so long that I have been able to post on my blog.  I am working on recipes and taking lots of photos so it will not be long before I share more recipes.

In the meantime I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderfully Happy New Year!

I hope to post later today.  Wish me luck. 

Ev

hello

Hi everyone,

Not sure exactly who is following my blog but I must apologize for not doing much with the blog.  I have had back problems with resulting back spasms that are no fun at all.  :(  Tomorrow however, I will be going to the doctor to have things checked out.  I have tried lots of home remedy type things but nothing is long lasting enough to get me through this.  Sad to say. 

I should be back in the not too distant future.  In the meantime keep checking back and I will post on face book when I have new recipes to share.  I have taken lots of photos, one is of the lasagna recipe I make quite often.  So stay tuned.

Thanks for being patient to those of you who do check in regularly. 

Hugs to you all,
Evelyn

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