This recipe is loosely based on a recipe that I found in Taste of Home a year ago. I changed the bread, the cheese and messed with the spices a little. If you want to see the original recipe, click on the title. It is a favorite quick dinner around our house. Serve with chips, salad and chocolate pudding.
Preheat oven to Broil.
Fry in pan with the onion until the beef is no longer pink.
1 lb. ground beef
1 T. dry minced onion
Add:
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
1 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. garlic powder
Shake together in shaker jar and add to the tomato beef mixture:
2 t. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
Cook till slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add and melt:
6 mozzarella cheese slices or about 1 1/2 c. shredded
Stir till it is all mixed together. Slice one loaf of french bread into 4 sections and then in half lengthwise (8 pieces). Layer the meat mixture on the bread and top with cheese. Cut 4 slices of mozzarella cheese diagonally or use about 3/4 cup shredded.
Broil until the cheese is golden brown, about 6 minutes.
4 servings
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Mustard Tarragon Sauce
I have tried this easy sauce on steak kebabs, pork loin roast. My husband says its "to die for". I don't know about that. I also like to broil Vidalia onions or potatoes basted with this sauce. Serve the onions or potatoes with your meat. The orginal recipe came from the "Monday is Meatloaf" cookbook which I picked up at a yard sale for 25 cents. You may need to double or triple the recipe depending on whether you want to baste only or have extra to serve with the meat. Again, this is a recipe that I have doctored and changed.
1 c. beef broth (use a boullion cube and a cup of water)
2 T. yellow mustard
1 T. olive oil
1 T. minced fresh tarragon or 1 t. dried
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. black pepper
2 T. margarine
Bring the broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from heat when it has cooked down a bit to a nice saucy consistency. Baste your meat or serve warm with it as a sauce.
Makes about a cup.
1 c. beef broth (use a boullion cube and a cup of water)
2 T. yellow mustard
1 T. olive oil
1 T. minced fresh tarragon or 1 t. dried
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. black pepper
2 T. margarine
Bring the broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from heat when it has cooked down a bit to a nice saucy consistency. Baste your meat or serve warm with it as a sauce.
Makes about a cup.
Hummus
A year or so ago, I got my sister and myself copies of "The What Would Jesus Eat? Cookbook." She found a fast and easy recipe for hummus, and I changed it slightly to fit time constraints.
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup tahini (scant) (tahini is like peanut butter, only made with sesame seeds)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 t. minced garlic or garlic powder
Juice of 2 med. lemons (I use the equivalent measure of the bottled stuff)
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. cumin
Whirl the beans until finely chopped in a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well. Hummus will have a fine texture. Place in airtight container in the refrigerator or serve immediately. Keeps about 5 days in the fridge.
I like this on Wheat Thins or Triscuits, with veggies, or with Middle Eastern dishes. I'm pretty well addicted to this.
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup tahini (scant) (tahini is like peanut butter, only made with sesame seeds)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 t. minced garlic or garlic powder
Juice of 2 med. lemons (I use the equivalent measure of the bottled stuff)
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. cumin
Whirl the beans until finely chopped in a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well. Hummus will have a fine texture. Place in airtight container in the refrigerator or serve immediately. Keeps about 5 days in the fridge.
I like this on Wheat Thins or Triscuits, with veggies, or with Middle Eastern dishes. I'm pretty well addicted to this.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Adventures in Pasta Making!!
Last year, during my Christmas shopping, I procured a pasta maker for fairly cheap at Ross. Just a simple hand-cranked NorPro model, with attachment for making fettuccine and spaghetti. Yesterday, I finally had a chance to try it out.
I used the Joy of Cooking’s Egg Pasta recipe, since it seemed the most simple. I also checked out a couple of websites by googling Homemade Pasta.
3 ½ c. unbleached flour (I used 3 c. white and ½ c. whole wheat)
5 eggs or (7 egg whites)
1 t. salt
1 t. olive oil
I added 1 t. of dill weed and 1 t. of lemon pepper (salt-free) for flavor.
I whisked it together in my food processor for about 20 seconds and then I kneaded it for 10 minutes by hand. I then divided it into 4 pieces and let them set, loosely covered, for 30 minutes. (There were pages and pages of directions, and information in the Joy of Cooking.)
I learned a few more things—dough should not be sticky, keep dusting with flour. It’s like bread making—you get a feel for the right consistency of the dough. I ran it through the pasta maker, following the rules for making the sheets of pasta. I let them dry for about 30 minutes and them ran them through the fettuccine attachment and laid them out to dry again. The more I worked with it, the faster I got at it—I felt like I needed 3 hands to work with it. It was a good thing the baby was napping. ;-) (I think it easier to use the attachment than to cut by hand, I tried both ways.)
I only had to boil them for 5 minutes and served them with homemade pasta sauce. Shawn had two helpings (he wondered if this was gourmet food) and I had mine with garlic butter—see the recipe below. I have to tell you that this was the best pasta I have ever eaten. It’s a little time consuming but wow!! The taste was awesome!! Of course, I will not stop using the cheap boxes of dried pasta, at least right way. I’d like to eventually switch to eating all whole-grain pasta and this is probably the way to do it, as the dried stuff is very expensive.
I used the Joy of Cooking’s Egg Pasta recipe, since it seemed the most simple. I also checked out a couple of websites by googling Homemade Pasta.
3 ½ c. unbleached flour (I used 3 c. white and ½ c. whole wheat)
5 eggs or (7 egg whites)
1 t. salt
1 t. olive oil
I added 1 t. of dill weed and 1 t. of lemon pepper (salt-free) for flavor.
I whisked it together in my food processor for about 20 seconds and then I kneaded it for 10 minutes by hand. I then divided it into 4 pieces and let them set, loosely covered, for 30 minutes. (There were pages and pages of directions, and information in the Joy of Cooking.)
I learned a few more things—dough should not be sticky, keep dusting with flour. It’s like bread making—you get a feel for the right consistency of the dough. I ran it through the pasta maker, following the rules for making the sheets of pasta. I let them dry for about 30 minutes and them ran them through the fettuccine attachment and laid them out to dry again. The more I worked with it, the faster I got at it—I felt like I needed 3 hands to work with it. It was a good thing the baby was napping. ;-) (I think it easier to use the attachment than to cut by hand, I tried both ways.)
I only had to boil them for 5 minutes and served them with homemade pasta sauce. Shawn had two helpings (he wondered if this was gourmet food) and I had mine with garlic butter—see the recipe below. I have to tell you that this was the best pasta I have ever eaten. It’s a little time consuming but wow!! The taste was awesome!! Of course, I will not stop using the cheap boxes of dried pasta, at least right way. I’d like to eventually switch to eating all whole-grain pasta and this is probably the way to do it, as the dried stuff is very expensive.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Real Southern Sweet Tea
1 quart water
4 quart size tea bags or 1 large gallon size
1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar
Bring water to boil. Remove from heat and steep tea bags for 6 minutes. Place sugar in the bottom of a gallon size pitcher. Remove tea bags and pour tea over the sugar. Mix well, till the sugar is dissolved. Add cold water to top of pitcher, stir till mixed. Serve with ice and lemon wedges if desired.
Hints: If you steep tea for too long, you release tannins into the tea. This makes your tea bitter. Also, the sugar syrup is the main difference between sweet tea and sweetened tea.
4 quart size tea bags or 1 large gallon size
1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar
Bring water to boil. Remove from heat and steep tea bags for 6 minutes. Place sugar in the bottom of a gallon size pitcher. Remove tea bags and pour tea over the sugar. Mix well, till the sugar is dissolved. Add cold water to top of pitcher, stir till mixed. Serve with ice and lemon wedges if desired.
Hints: If you steep tea for too long, you release tannins into the tea. This makes your tea bitter. Also, the sugar syrup is the main difference between sweet tea and sweetened tea.
Garlic Butter
We love garlic bread as a side to the many Italian dishes we enjoy every month. Taste of Home recently had a tip that has proven to be a time saver for us.
Soften one medium container of "tub butter" such as Country Crock, (or at my house, the Walmart version of Country Crock). I usually transfer it to a mixing bowl so it is not quite so messy to work with.
With an electric mixer, mix in a tablespoon of garlic powder and a tablespoon of parsley, or other spices if you desire. Be sure to adjust it to your taste--we like it really garlicky, or the size of your container.
Store in the refrigerator and use for garlic bread, grilled cheese sandwiches....
Soften one medium container of "tub butter" such as Country Crock, (or at my house, the Walmart version of Country Crock). I usually transfer it to a mixing bowl so it is not quite so messy to work with.
With an electric mixer, mix in a tablespoon of garlic powder and a tablespoon of parsley, or other spices if you desire. Be sure to adjust it to your taste--we like it really garlicky, or the size of your container.
Store in the refrigerator and use for garlic bread, grilled cheese sandwiches....
Revved up Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
This is one of my favorite foods. However, made with the wrong ingredients, they turn into a mushy mess. Here are my tips for a great grilled cheese sandwich!!
Start with good bread. Sorry, but Wonderbread or other white breads don't make good grilled sandwiches. Use a good 9 grain or sourdough, like the Cobblestone Mills variety. You can use day old bread with good results though.
Use good cheese. None of that fake stuff---use real Cheddar, the kind you slice yourself.
Spread the outsides of the sandwich with butter, or garlic butter (or margarine). (Probably the easiest way is to lay the bread on the counter and butter it and then assemble it on the griddle.)
Heat your griddle or pan to medium heat and then place sandwiches on the griddle and fry on both sides till golden brown. Do not flatten the sandwiches with a spatula in an effort to make the cheese melt and do not leave the stove while frying.
Good with a glass of iced tea and a salad or try it with some hot chocolate or tomato soup!!
For variations on this try adding a slice of ham or using Swiss or provolone or all of the afore-mentioned items before grilling. A little mustard or mayo is good too--just don't overload it!!
Start with good bread. Sorry, but Wonderbread or other white breads don't make good grilled sandwiches. Use a good 9 grain or sourdough, like the Cobblestone Mills variety. You can use day old bread with good results though.
Use good cheese. None of that fake stuff---use real Cheddar, the kind you slice yourself.
Spread the outsides of the sandwich with butter, or garlic butter (or margarine). (Probably the easiest way is to lay the bread on the counter and butter it and then assemble it on the griddle.)
Heat your griddle or pan to medium heat and then place sandwiches on the griddle and fry on both sides till golden brown. Do not flatten the sandwiches with a spatula in an effort to make the cheese melt and do not leave the stove while frying.
Good with a glass of iced tea and a salad or try it with some hot chocolate or tomato soup!!
For variations on this try adding a slice of ham or using Swiss or provolone or all of the afore-mentioned items before grilling. A little mustard or mayo is good too--just don't overload it!!
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