Creamed Pearl Onions

Ingredients

1 lb of pearl onions
pat of butter
1 cup of heavy cream
1 TBSP of italian parsley, chopped
2 cloves of minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of chicken broth

Saute onions in a medium size pot with a pat of butter, until golden brown. Add the cream, parsley and garlic and cook over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cover and add the chicken broth. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Adjust seasonings and serve.

For a thicker sauce, make a cornstarch slurry and stir in slowly, being careful not to over thicken.

Baked Jambalaya from the Once A Month Cookbook

I made this thursday night and didn't get to eat it. I just had this for breakfast. Of course my recipe was different though, since I had some things on hand and not others. this recipe is simple! can't wait for dh to try. i want to add it to my tried and true. only thing is that i'll use kielbasa next time instead of the andouille. the flavor of andouille is AWESOME. you don't really need any other spices to the recipe if you use it. but the kids won't eat it, so back to the kielbasa. i like making things that i can reheat for breakfast/lunch. this one is very good for me. it also follows my no sugar/no flour rule. i double the recipe so there is enough leftover for meals during the week.

original recipe with my changes:

Baked Jambalaya

3 TBSP real bacon bits (omitted)
1/2 c celery, chopped (omitted)
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
2 TBSP Scallion, chopped (used one small onion instead)
1/2 lb kielbasa, cooked and sliced (used andouille sausage - really spicy!!)
1/2 lb ham, cooked and diced (omitted)
1/2 t dried thyme (omitted)
1 tsp cajun seasoning (i used cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper - just about a pinch of each, basil should be in there too maybe. didn't have it)
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (used jar of ragu instead)
1 1/2 c (or 14.5 oz can) beef broth
1 1/2 c long grain rice

Bake now directions: Mix everything together in a large bowl. Put into a 9 x 13 baking dish and cook covered with foil at 375 for 1 hour.

Freeze directions: Mix everything except rice, in large bowl. Pour into freezer bag, label and freeze. Measure out the rice and put in ziploc bag. Tape it to the Jambalaya freezer bag. Thaw, mix in rice, and put into 9x13 pan. bake covered, 375 for 1 hour.

No Knead Bread Revisited

My friend JoAnna posted this recipe from the blog, Steamy Kitchen Modern Asian, on her facebook profile. Of course I had to promptly subscribe to the blog. Thanks so much, JoAnna! I really like this version, and will try my hand at it very SOON.
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No Knead Bread Recipe

No Knead Bread Recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman of NY Times who got it from Sullivan Street Bakery. When the recipe first came out, it was the blogging community who took the bread to new heights, especially Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Bread Bible. I followed Rose’s experiments through the weeks and learned from her recipe adjustments and the why’s of how this bread works.

Yield: one 1 lb loaf

3 cups bread flour (I like Harvest King bread flour)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)
1 1/2 cups warm water

Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel…something that can go into a 450F oven.)

1. Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on countertop.

2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface. Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Generously dust a cotton towel (not terrycloth) with flour. Set dough seam side down on top of towel. Fold towel over the dough. Let it nap for 2 hours. When you’ve got about a half hour left, slip your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.

3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven. Holding towel, dump wobbly dough into pot. Doesn’t matter which way it lands. Shake to even dough out. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F. Remove and let cool on wired rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in 350F oven for 10 minutes. Best way to eat it? Smear a warm slice with some good butter (Kerrygold and Lurpac are both found in your grocery stores, usually on top shelf)

Mashed Potato Casserole

4 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup butter, cut in pieces
paprika for garnish (optional)
Peel potatoes and boil in a 5 quart sauce pan until fork tender. Drain potatoes and mash well. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth with an electric mixer. Gradually add potatoes, beating until smooth. Beat in garlic salt and pepper. Put mixture into a buttered, shallow casserole. Dot with butter and sprinkle lightly with paprika (if desired). Cover. At this point, potatoes can be refrigerated for up to three days. Bring to room temperature before baking. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until heated through, about 30-45 minutes.

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This is what I'm making ahead of time, for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks to "Pinch My Salt", for this recipe. It is eerily similar to my Potatoes Romanoff recipe I made last night. But, this is waaaay better, with the cream cheese in it. Yummy!!!

Balsamic Glazed Pearl Onions

serves 8

• 2 1/2 pounds Pearl Onions
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Water

Directions
In a saucepan of boiling water blanch onions for 3 minutes then drain. Cool onions and peel.

In a large heavy skillet, heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.
Sauté onions until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Add vinegar and water and simmer, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, about 15 minutes.
Transfer onions with a slotted spoon to a platter, reserving liquid.
(Glazed onions may be prepared up to this point 2 days ahead and onions and reserved liquid, chilled separately, covered.)
Reheat onions in reserved liquid, adding a little water if necessary, and transfer with slotted spoon to platter.
Simmer reserved liquid until thickened and syrupy and reduced to about 1/2 cup.
Spoon sauce over onions and serve warm at room temperature.

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we made these last night and they are awesome. this recipe came from melissas.com i had never seen this site before. lots of good recipes. this recipe was featured in november's bj's journal. I didn't use the water in this recipe.

Breakfast Casserole

Potato Slices
Onion Slices
Butter
Diced Ham
Cheese Slices
1/4 cup Milk (*see note below)

Slice raw potatoes and onion. Place potatoes in a non-stick aluminum pan (you can spray with Pam). Add a layer of thinly sliced onions. Sprinkle with diced ham. Cover with cheese slices. Repeat layering. Top with butter. Add 1/4 cup milk. Bake for 1 hour at 400°.

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i'd like to call this, anytime casserole. it's yummy!!! but i made changes so it wasn't so bland. i'm addicted to it.

i used a glass casserole dish and covered this with foil. i omitted the milk because there was plenty of juice in there from the ham releasing water. i liberally added minced garlic cloves. perhaps 4 healthy tbsp, and lots of ground pepper. i used about 1 tbsp of butter, and american cheese slices. simple and so easy. picky hubby liked it. oh! and i really went crazy and added 2 onions.

Let them make cake!

Cake mix cookies that is. What a hit! Super easy for the little ones. My 5, 3 and 2 year old had lots of fun making them. They were quick to mix up, and quick to bake. Easy to clean up... Now that is my kind of recipe.

Here it is:

Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cake mix (any kind, chocolate is our favorite - sometimes the store brand goes on sale)
1/2 c. choc chips (or candy bar pieces, m&ms)
1/2 c. applesauce (or 1/4 cup of oil)
2 eggs
And a little water (you have to judge so the cookies look like cookie dough)

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Our Favorite Lasagne

Here is our family recipe. I adapted it for my dh, who likes to kiss the cook! At Christmas time, I make triple the recipe to bring pans to both sides of the family.
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Our Favorite Lasagne

-brown 1.5lbs of ground beef and 1lb hot breakfast sausage (comes in a roll), with 1 medium finely chopped onion.

-drain most (but not all) of the fat.

-add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.

-add 28oz can of pureed kitchen-ready tomatoes, 1 6oz can of tom. paste. and 1/8 of a cup of sugar (you could do 1/2 cup of wine if you like)

-Add a bit of water (maybe a cup) to loosen up the paste. i would eyeball this. you will want enough sauce to make 3 layers in your pan. in hindsight, i could have added about 14oz more of the pureed tomatoes.

-add 2TBSP of dried parsley flakes, 2TBSP dried basil and 1tsp of salt

-mix it all up and let simmer, uncovered for 45min, stirring occasionally (i think this made all the difference in the world)

- boil your noodles in some salted water and add 1TBSP of olive oil to keep noodles from sticking until they are al dente. (note i used barilla no boil noodles to save a step and am quite happy with the turnout) drain and rinse the noodles in cool water. lay them out on a sheet of foil.

- mix a container of ricotta cheese with 2 beaten eggs, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1tsp salt and 2TBSP of parsley flakes.

-when ready to assemble, put a layer of sauce on the bottom of your pan. then some mozzerella, next the ricotta, lay down the noodles on that so they overlap each other.

- repeat - sauce, mozz, ricotta, noodles

- then make a final layer of meat. top this layer off with parmesan and mozzerella.

- bake at 350 for about 40-45 min.

Cranberry Chicken (or Roast)

This recipe is versatile. We've had it with top round roast in the crockpot, and it was excellent. This recipe is for the oven. Very simple.
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Cranberry Chicken

1 can of cranberry sauce
6-8 Chicken Breasts
1 package onion soup mix
8 oz bottle of French salad dressing

Put the chicken in a greased casserole dish. Mix the other 3 ingredients in a bowl & pour over the chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours. Serve with rice & veggies.

Pennsylvania Coal Region Barbecue

These are like Sloppy Joe's, but WAY better, in my opinion.
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Pennsylvania Coal Region Barbecue

1lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
salt
pepper
6 hamburger buns

Crumble the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink.
Drain excess grease, and stir in the vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, ketchup, salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Serve on buns.

Taco Seasoning Mix

A staple in our house. Way more healthy than the little packets laden with msg and salt. My dh prefers the taste over the commercial stuff. Quick to mix up on the fly. Though you could mix up little batches and seal them individually in small ziplocks or make packets with tinfoil. I'm debating on trying this without the cornstarch and water. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Oh, and when I make this, I just sprinkle the mixed seasoning into the meat, then add the water to the meat. I don't mix the seasonings in with the water.
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Taco Seasoning Mix

2 teaspoons instant minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

yields enough for 1lb meat
mix with 1/4 c water

Killer Blueberry Muffins

Be sure to use muffin liners. I fill them to the top so that the muffins are big like at the coffee shop. Without the paper liner,
they don't pop out well even though I greased the tin. For my family, we bought a big package of frozen wild blueberries from
BJ's. They were much cheaper there than at my fav discount grocer. I just put them in a mesh strainer and rinse them with cold water before adding to the batter. The original recipe was not enough for our family, so I had quadrupled it! I had intended this to stock my freezer, but they don't last long around here. I would have to make double this to stock the freezer for another week. My husband takes them to work, and they are great for quick breakfasts with the kids. Awesome with tea or coffee. These aren't called "killer" for nothing ;)
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Killer Blueberry Muffins

Yields 24 large muffins

6 C flour
3 C sugar
2 tsp salt
8 tsp baking powder
1 1/3 C oil
4 eggs
1 1/3 C milk (approx. see instructions)
3 C blueberries

Preheat oven to 400. Line tins with paper liners.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder.

In a one cup measuring cup, put 1/3 C oil. Add one egg. Fill the
rest of the cup with milk. Make a well in the dry ingredients and
pour this into the well. Repeat this three more times. Mix the
batter, then fold the blueberries in gently.

Fill cups to the top and bake 20-25 min.

Granola Bars

we made this last week and the kids really liked it. i used ground flax seed instead of wheat germ, and did not have rice cereal. so i just increased the oatmeal. lastly, i did NOT used an entire cup of choc. chips. it was way too much. i just sprinkled about 1/4 cup (if that). this recipe doubles nicely, since they don't last that long. hmmm.... maybe i'll take a pic of it next time.

Homemade granola bars or cookies.

GRANOLA BARS
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cups crispy rice cereal
1/2 cup wheat germ (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips*

In a large bowl, cream sugars and butter until fluffy. Add honey, vanilla and egg. Mix well. Blend in flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir in remaining ingredients. Press firmly into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Holy Saturday Cookies

Holy Saturday Cookies:
make just before bedtime

1 c. walnut or pecan halves
3 egg whites
1 tsp. vinegar
pinch of salt
1 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place nuts in plastic food storage bag. Have children beat the nuts into smaller pieces with the wooden spoon. Remind the children that Jesus was arrested and then beaten by Roman soldiers. [John 19:1-3]

Break egg whites into a grease-free metal or glass mixing bowl. Eggs are symbolic of life. Jesus gave His life for ours. [John 10:11]

Allow the children to smell the vinegar, then sprinkle it onto the egg whites. In His Passion on the Cross, Jesus was given vinegar to drink. [John 19:28-30]

Give each child a tiny pinch of salt to taste, and then put into the egg whites. Salt reminds us of the tears and sadness caused by our sins.

Beat the egg whites on ‘high’ until stiff peaks form. Note their pure whiteness, symbolizing Jesus’ pure and perfect offering, the pure Lamb of God sacrificed for our sins. [Mal. 1:11]

Put sugar in egg whites and beat again until blended. The sweet sugar reminds us of the response at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament: ‘You have given them Bread from heaven. R: Having all sweetness within it.’ Jesus is our Bread of Life!

Fold nuts into the egg whites, then drop by teaspoons onto a greased cookie
sheet. Each cookie symbolizes the rocky hill with the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. [Matt. 27:57-60]

Set the cookie sheet in the oven and close the door. Let your children help tape the oven door shut. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed so no one could get in or out. Turn off the oven. [Matt. 27:65-66]

Tell the children that it is time for bed. Like the disciples, they must await the Resurrection.

On Easter morning, go to the oven. When Jesus’ disciples came to the tomb on Easter morning, what did they find? They found that the tomb on the rocky hill was empty, because Jesus was alive! Like the tomb, the cookies are ‘empty’ inside. [They will be hollow when the children bite into them.] [Matt. 28:1-9] Christ Our Lord is Risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Mandarin Orange Salad

1/4 cup White wine vinegar
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1-1/2 tsp Granulated sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
6 to 8 cups Torn salad greens, such as spinach & romaine
2 Green Onions, sliced
3 Celery hearts, sliced
1 medium Carrot, shredded
11 oz can Mandarin oranges, chilled and drained
1/2 cup Sliced almonds
3 tbsp. Granulated sugar

Combine wine vinegar, oil, sugar and salt. Shake well and chill. In a small skillet cook almonds and sugar over medium-low heat until sugar melts and almonds are coated, stirring frequently. Turn onto foil, let cool and break into small pieces.

Just before serving, combine greens, celery, carrots, green onions and oranges. Shake dressing again and pour over salad; toss to coat. Sprinkle with almonds. Serve.

Note: I sometimes add 2 cans of drained Mandarin Oranges.

from: http://www.dottysdiner.com/