How to: Make a Cuban Sandwich

(I shredded a piece of roast pork and cooked it a little longer with some Mojo marinade.)

(No panini press?  George Forman with added muscle.)

Ah! Beinvenidos a Miami!

These were soooooo good and I am sooooo bad at making fried catfish, it's hard to believe it grew up closer to Havana, Arkansas than Havana, Cuba.

Soups on!: Tomato Basil Orzo Soup

How comforting does that photo look!

Wow, talk about a great pair - Tomato Basil Orzo Soup and Asiago Bread. I posted the recipe for the bread a few posts back, but this time I made it with the cheese in chunks instead of shredded. The main difference is that when you cut the bread, there were little pockets of cheese throughout (very fancy looking), I did think though that the bread with the shredded cheese seemed fresher the 2nd day than the chunk bread. Otherwise, great either way!

Tomato Basil Orzo Soup

1 cup each chopped carrot, celery and onion
1/4 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and thyme
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cans (19 ounces) ready-to-serve tomato basil or hearty tomato soup
2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup uncooked orzo pasta

Saute chopped veggies and herbs in oil for 8-10 minutes. Add soup and broth, bring to boil and stir in orzo. Reduce heat, simmer until orzo is cooked and veggies are tender - about 10 minutes.

Note: Stir while simmering the orzo, otherwise it will sink to the bottom and stick. I used the hearty tomato soup and used fresh basil and oregano from my garden.

On The Side: Hot Swiss Scalloped Potatoes

We invited a family over for dinner one night this week and I decided to roast a pork loin for the occasion. I planned to make oven-fried potato wedges as a side, but the wedges need to cook 100 deg. hotter than the loin for half an hour, so I started scouring for another dish that would fit better with the cooking time-table.

I discovered this recipe in my little cookbook Just Like Grandma Used to Make. It is so good that I think that if I hadn't made a chocolate chip pound cake, I might just have had potatoes for dessert!

Hot Swiss Scalloped Potatoes

1 1/2 c. Swiss Cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 c. green onions, sliced
6 T. butter, divided
2 T. flour
1 tsp salt
1 c. milk
1 c. sour cream
4 large potatoes, cooked, peeled & sliced
3 cups cooked ham, diced
1/4 c. fine dry bread crumbs

Combine 1 c. cheese and onions, mix well and set aside. Over medium heat, melt 2 T butter; stir in flour and salt; gradually add milk. Cook and stir until thickened, remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Grease a 3 quart casserole and line the bottom with 1/3 of potato slices, then 1/2 of the ham, and 1/2 of the cheese/onion mixture. Repeat layers and top with last 1/3 of potatoes. Melt remaining 4 T butter and mix with bread crumbs and reserved cheese. Sprinkle over casserole and baked uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

In hindsight I might have used 4 red potatoes or Yukon golds (I usually don't buy the Yukon potatoes b/c my grocery store only sells them in a big bag and they go south much faster than other potatoes, but they are good!). I used 2 reds and 2 baking potatoes. After boiling the potatoes, the baking potatoes were impossible to slice, so I crumbled them up and mixed them with the reds' slices. It was very yummy. I also used whole milk and regular sour cream. This was no diet-dish. This recipes makes a lot of servings (at least 10) and reheats well.

Just Like Grandma's: Swedish Meatballs with Sour Cream Sauce

The sauce is a pretty creamy lavender and it is yum yum good!

Swedish Meatballs in Sour Cream Sauce

1lb ground pork
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 1/2 T. chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 T. butter (divided)
1 cup beef broth
1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c. red wine
8 oz sour cream

Mix pork, bread crumbs, onion, salt, nutmeg and half of butter - form into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place in a baking pan and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (until browned). Add broth to pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 more minutes. Remove meatballs and keep warm. Skim fat off of liquid and move to saucepan. Boil to reduce by half. In a large skillet, saute mushrooms in remaining butter; add wine, meatballs and liquid. Simmer 5 minutes, then stir in the sour cream and heat through without boiling. Serve over rice or noodles.

How To: Make a Giant Cinnamon Roll

Nothing says "Good Morining!" like a GIANT cinnamon roll!

To make a giant cinnamon roll the easy way, you need a roll of "counter-whop" cinnamon rolls. Set one roll in the middle of the pan. Unroll 3 rolls* and starting where the first roll ends, add on the 2nd, then 3rd and then 4th rolls. Bake according to package directions (my package said to cook them longer if they are all bunched up rather than spread out on the pan, so that's the time I cooked them for.) Ice with half of the icing for the roll.

*It used to be that only store brand cinnamon rolls were simply cinnamon studded buns cut into circles, but I bought PILLSBURY and they are now only cut into cirles and STAMPED with circles to APPEAR to be rolls, when they are not! I cut mine into spirals using my kitchen shears, which was perfectly easy, but I really had higher expectations for Pillsbury.

Hearty and Healthy: Vegetable Beef Barley Soup

Betty Crocker wasn't a woman at all, she wasn't a man exactly, but a creation of the Washburn Crosby Company that merged with General Mills. She was "born" in 1921.
Looks good for her age, right?
Here's "her" recipe for Vegetable Beef Barley Soup - a healthy and hearty dinner that is also quite economical.

Vegetable Beef Barley Soup (based on the Betty Crocker recipe, but I modified it to what worked best for me)

3/4 lb beef stew meat
1 tbsp canola oil
28 oz beef broth
1 cup water
salt to taste (may not need it, depends on broth)
2/3 cup pearl barley
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 med. carrot, sliced thin
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 med. onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen green beans
1 cup frozen green peas
black pepper to taste

Brown beef in oil, pour in broth and water, add salt. Add barley and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 30 minutes (a good time to prep veggies), then pour in veggies and return to a simmer for 30 more minutes (a good time to make rolls to go with the soup).

As a note - you can use fresh tomatoes, but unless they are in season, canned diced will work better. You can use fresh corn - 1 ear will be 1/2 cup.

Homemade Starbucks

I usually don't see the rational in paying more than $3 for 10oz of coffee, but Rob babysat Caleb for me on Tuesday morning while I went to Publix and I wanted to suprise him with a Mocha - his favorite. While I was waiting in line I was tempted by the rows of fancy danishes and coffee cake. One option was Chocolate Cinnamon Bread - and it was calling my name! But I resisted and was rewarded, because at the pick up end of the counter, there were little recipe cards for Chocolate Cinnamon Bread. Caleb and I made it today and WOW! It's really not bread - more like a chocolate pound cake with a hint of cinnamon. Here's how to make it at home:

Chocolate Batter:
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temp.
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cocoa-Spice Sugar Crust
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coca
pinch ground ginger & cloves

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time - wait til each egg is no longer visible before adding the next. Combine flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, baking soda & baking powder - add to creamed mixture a couple of spoonfuls at a time until well mixed. Combine liquid ingredients, pour in and mix well. Pour batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment. Combine crust ingredients and sprinkle liberally over the batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool, remove from pan, serve slices with coffee - Starbucks, 7-11, I don't think it matters at this point. ;)

Comfort Foods : Thai Style Brisket

My first venture into brisket-ing was well rewarded. This recipe is very easy and very tasty. I cooked it in the slow cooker while I was babysitting - so it cooked nearly 11 hours (yes, I babysit 11 hours frequently - I don't know who it's a longer day for, me or the parents!)

Thai Style Brisket*

First you need a 3-4lb fresh beef brisket, cut it in half, and brown both sides in a hot skillet with about 2 tbsp olive oil. Stick the browned brisket in the crockpot.

Mix up:

1 cup chunky peanut butter
2/3 cup soy sauce
4 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp pepper

and pour it over the brisket in the crockpot. Set it on low.

After it cooks for at least 8 1/2 hours, mix 1 tbsp cornstarch in 1 cup cold water and pour it in and crank the crockpot up to high.

MEANWHILE...stirfry 1 1/4 cups julienned carrots, 1 sliced medium sweet red pepper, 1 sliced medium green pepper, and 1/2 cup of green onion until tender-crisp. Top the brisket with the veggies and serve with rice! YUM!

*Taste of Home, August/September 2005, Reiman Publishing.

Tastes Like Chicken : Parmesan Chicken

Parmesan Chicken...not Chicken Parmesan, there's a difference! This is a easy, yummy recipe that won a national potluck dinner competition sponsored by Taste of Home magazine in 2003. The parmesan coating is wonderful, because when parmesan cheese melts it makes a crispy, crusty coating. It would probably also make great chicken fingers if you used chicken tenders or cut boneless breast into strips. I served it with twice baked potatoes and a spinach salad. YUMMY!!!

Parmesan Chicken*

GROUP 1
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper

GROUP 2
2 eggs
3 tbsp milk

GROUP 3
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs (I used panko)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Get 3 shallow bowls, round cake pans, or pie plates and combine ingredients in the 3 groups listed. First dip the breasts in the flour mixture, shake off excess. Then in the egg mixture, then roll breasts in the cheese mixture to coat. Spray or grease a baking pan, add chicken, and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes (or until the juices run clear).

(Alt. - Use a 3-4lb broiler/fryer chicken cut up, increase baking time to at least 60 minutes or until the juices run clear.)

*Taste of Home 2004 Annual Recipes, Reiman Media Group, Inc.

Miss Stokers Lasagna

Iva Lou Stoker made the wedding cake for my wedding receptions, so I shouldn't have been surprised to learn that she was the source for this tasty lasagna. I found her recipe in a fund raising cookbook from my mom's school.

And I know, I know, lasagna's not worth the work, but consider this - you can make about twice as much lasagna from scratch as you pay for to buy it frozen, and really it's not that hard to make. Just be sure to subtract 2-3 minutes from the cooking time when you boil the noodles. I learned that the hard way! If you cook them completely they will tear and be hard to work with. Letting them remain underdone makes them easier to handle and allows for the additional cooking in the oven. Rinse them in cold water to halt the cooking. That makes them easier to handle too!

Meat Sauce:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 to 1 lb sausage
1 tsp basil
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 (1lb) can of tomatoes
2 (6oz) cans of tomato paste
1/4 tsp oregano

Cheese Sauce:
2 eggs, beaten
3 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Also:
1lb mozzarella cheese slices
10 oz lasagna noodles, cooked and drained well

Brown meat; drain well. Add meat sauce ingredients and cook slowly uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occassionally. Combine ingredients for cheese filling.

Layer ingredients in a 3 quart oven-proof casserole in this order: noodles, cheese filling, mozaralla slices, meat sauce. Repeat layers. Bake at 375 for 30 mintues. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

(**Also great as leftovers! I usually half the recipe.)

Comfort Food : Prairie Land Pot Roast

Pot Roast is such a forgiving dish. It's been said that it's impossible to overcook it, plus it's easy and cheap. The perfect meal for the novice cook.

Although there are many varieties, I like this version...

Prairie Land Pot Roast*

1 boneless beef chuck roast (or any big hunk of beef, bone or no bone, it won't matter once this thing's done)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 8 oz. bottle Catalina dressing (divided)
2 large onions, sliced
2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1 lb carrots, peepled, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Season both sides of beef with salt and pepper, brown in a big pot or dutch oven on both sides with 1/4 cup of the Catalina dressing. Add onions, stir to brown.

Add remaining dressing and vegetables and enough water to come 3/4 of the up the meat. Bring to a boil; cover. Reduce heat to low. Simmer at least 2 hours or until meat and veggies are tender.

Slice up the meat, sprinkle with parsley, enjoy! Serves about 8 - or 2 people for almost a week!

(Alternately you could throw everything in a crock pot after browning the meat, set on low for about 8 hours.)

* Mary Smith, Kraft Food and Family, Fall 2005, pg. 64.

Comfort Food : Salisbury Steak

My experiences with Salisbury Steak as a child were only in the school lunch room. I can't remember ever having it at home. But when Taste of Home featured it in it's "Cooking for One or Two" section, they made it look so nice, I just had to give it a try. This is a scaled down recipe and only makes enough for two people. It can easily be doubled (tripled, etc.) for more people. It's fast, easy, and comfortingly meaty.

Salisbury Steak for Two*

1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 envelope brown gravy mix (divided)
1 tsp dried minced onion
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

In a bowl, whisk egg and milk. Stir in bread crumbs, 1 tbsp gravy mix, and onion. Crumble meat over mixture and mix well. Shape into two patties about 3/4 inch thick. Broil 3-4 inches from heat for 6-7 minutes on each side until meat is no longer pink and temp is 160.

Add water and mustard to remaining gravy mix, mix well and bring to a boil; cook until thickened, server over patties.

(I like using panko, which are Japanese style bread crumbs in this recipe. They give the patties a little crispyness. I buy Sunluck Panko, it's in the same section as regular bread crumbs at my grocery store.)

*Taste of Home, Reiman Publishing, December/January 2006, pg. 56.