Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Olive Garden Breadsticks & Zuppa Toscana

Tuesday: Orange Chicken & Vegetables, Rice, & Egg Drop Soup

Wednesday:  San Fransisco Pork Chops, Rice, & Veggie

Thursday:  Copycat Shamrock Shake, Irish Beef Stew

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday: Chicken & Artichoke French Bread Pizza & Salad

Treats:
*Mint & Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Crab Dip

A.K.A. Crab Salad
A.K.A. Crab Spread

Gourmet?  Most certainly not.  Delicious?  No doubt about it.

This recipe originally comes from my mother-in-law.  I have tweaked it a bit, but it is still essentially the same. Whenever I take this to gatherings, I get tons of compliments.  Yes, I know imitation crab is not considered fine dining, but by-golly, people like it in this recipe.  In my book, that is all that matters!

Our favorite way to eat this is atop Club Crackers or Wheat Thins.  Delish!

Here is what you will need!

Crab Dip

1/4-1/2 c. sliced black olives

1 c. diced celery

11/2 c. shredded cheddar

1 tsp. dill weed

1 lb. imitation crab meat, diced

3/4-1 c. Mayo (Hellman's is best)

1/2 c. sliced green onions

Combine all ingredients together.  Either serve immediately, or refrigerate until you are ready to serve!  

Best eaten cold and on Club crackers or Wheat Thins in my opinion!

Drunken Pork Chops

It is that time again!  Time to clean out my picture files and post all the recipes that I haven't quite gotten around to sharing over the past couple of months before they become forgotten!  These Drunken Pork Chops were very good.  I am thinking it could be easily modified as a slow cooker meal.  Instead of simmering for 45 minutes in the pan, I would guess, they could easily cook in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low.  Honestly, I think they might even be better because with the long, slow cooking they would become especially tender.  

I know the ingredient list is a bit odd, don't be afraid though!  These weird ingredients really do work well together!  I would recommend NOT using Shock Top though.  They would be best with an Amber Bock or something similar.  Also, I'm not sure why, but it appears I did not adequately thicken my sauce.  Impatience?  Most likely!

Drunken Pork Chops

5-6 pork chops- bone-in or boneless, your choice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 bottle of beer (the darker the beer, the more flavorful the sauce. I use an Amber Ale or a Black Ale. People have heard mixed reviews using Guinness, some say it is too strong.)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup ketchup (I know, I know....but TRUST ME!)

1 Tbsp. Cornstarch

1/4 c. water

Put a little bit of extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of a skillet. Season the chops with salt and pepper and brown both sides. While pork chops are browning, combine beer, ketchup, and brown sugar in a bowl. Pour sauce mixture over the pork chops and simmer for 40-45 minutes. Remove pork chops and thicken the sauce a bit. In a small cup, combine 1 TBSP of cornstarch in 1/4 of water. Stir to combine and add to boiling sauce, whisk so no lumps form. Put pork chops back in the thickened sauce, flip to coat. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice. 

Have your drink and eat it too!

Source: Siggy Spice

Hot Fudge Sauce

My family has a real weakness for ice cream.  I should also mention, we are a bit snobbish about our ice cream.  Not just any will do.  No, it has to be of the rich premium variety.  Whenever I see our favorite brands go on sale, I stock up.  Yes, I have been known to load my cart with 10 containers of ice cream.  Gotta problem with that?  OK, maybe I need an intervention.  Seriously though, I always think that if I stock up, we will be good until next time it goes on sale.  That never happens though.  No, if we have more ice cream, we eat more ice cream.  

Anyway, we just LOVE hot fudge sauce with our ice cream.  I really like this recipe because it uses everyday ingredients that I always have on hand.  If you don't have a family of 5 that eats ice cream like there is no tomorrow, you may want to half this recipe.

Here are the ingredients you need!

Hot Fudge Sauce 

2 cups sugar

4 Tablespoons flour

2/3 cup cocoa

2 cup milk (I used whole.  If you want it EXTRA rich, try subbing out some milk for cream:)

4 Tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (per 1/3 of recipe, optional)-I omitted

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (per 1/3 of recipe, optional)-I omitted

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

Over medium heat, combine milk, butter and vanilla until the butter has melted.

Add dry ingredients to the milk mixture, constantly whisking.

Boil, stirring constantly until thick and smooth, about 5 minutes.

Let cool and refrigerate. Will last a week if you don’t eat it all first.

makes 3.5 cups

Source: Eat Make Read

Knoephla Soup

Last night, I was watching a documentary on PBS about the Germans from Russia that are so common in North Dakota.  It was a very interesting program, especially so for me because my grandparents on my dad's side are part of that culture.  Recently, I have heard my grandpa talk more and more about what it was like to be a youngster in a very large, poor farming family in Western ND.  My grandpa could have been one of those interviewed, his story was so like others that went through the same hard times.  I think he would really enjoy the program, I believe it was called Of Earth and Sky.  One interesting tidbit that my grandpa recently told me, was that he never actually had a birth certificate.  He was born at harvesting time and his family did not have the time to take care of it during that busy season.  It was apparently, forgotten and never did happen.  In the grand scheme of things, those times are not long behind us, but things have certainly changed dramatically.

One piece of my Germans from Russia heritage is Knoephla soup.  I grew up eating this, often with premade "knoephla dumplings" that a local company called Baker Boy makes.  We always made the recipe on the back of that package.  Recently, I started wondering how hard it would really be to do it entirely from scratch.  I came up with this recipe and I am really happy with it.  I also like the fact that it contains much less than the entire stick of butter the Baker Boy recipe calls for.

Knoephla Soup

2 Tbsp. butter

2-3 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 Tbsp. chicken base

2 Qts. water

3-4 potatoes, peeled & diced

3-4 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. dill weed, optional

1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste), optional

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. cream

Dough:

2 c. flour

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. milk

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large stockpot.  Add carrots, celery, and onion.  Saute until the vegetables are crisp tender and onion is beginning to turn translucent.  

Add 2 Qts. water, chicken base, potatoes, bay leaves, dill weed, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.  

Meanwhile, combine dough ingredients and knead until smooth and elastic.  I like to throw mine in my kitchen aide mixer and let the bread hook attachment do the work for me:)  Lightly flour your counter and gently roll out dough into a "rope" (approximately 1" in diameter).  Use a pizza cutter or knife to slice the dough in 1" increments.  As you slice, add the cut dumplings to the soup.  Let simmer for 5 more minutes.  

Combine cream of chicken soup and cream with a whisk.  Add to soup.  Let simmer for 2 more minutes.  

Enjoy!  

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:  Texas Chicken Quesadillas

Tuesday:  Pizza Party w/Q's Hockey Team

Wednesday:  Knoefla Soup & Salad

Thursday:  Chicken Fried Steak, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Friday:  The Best Taco Meat, Taco Shells, Assorted Toppings

Saturday:  Buffalo Chicken Nachos & Salad

Sunday: Tuscan Garlic Chicken, Salad, & Breadsticks

Breakfast Ideas:
*Cheesy Eggs & Ham
*Eggs in a Hole

Snacks:
*Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

Perfectly Spicy & Sweet Beef Jerky

I just looooooooooovve beef jerky.  Always have.  As a kid I never cared for meat (and spent many lonely nights at the dinner table wishing it would disappear from my plate).  By the time I got to my final years of high school, I had mostly sworn meat off.  I would occasionally eat poultry (very rarely), but never red meat and NOTHING off the bone.  The exception, of course, was always beef jerky.

Since I could easily be a vegetarian if it were not for the deliciousness of beef jerky, you should trust me when I say this is an awesome beef jerky recipe.  Give it a try!  If you don't have a dehydrator, they are pretty inexpensive.  If your kids can tear through the beef jerky like mine can, it would probably be a money saving purchase for you!  I can usually find great deals on lean roasts, like the one pictured below, at Sams club.  Either that, or watch your grocery store for sales!  Just remember, lean cuts are best for beef jerky!

I took a few extra picture detailing the process of making jerky.  The recipe is at the end of the pictures!

Here are the ingredients you will need.  You don't need much pineapple juice, but it is an important flavor component.  I recommend storing what you don't use in small portions in the freezer for next time if you are not a pineapple juice drinker.

 I find that my electric knife works wonderfully for thinly slicing the beef.  I like to place the beef in the freezer for about 30 minutes first, which firms it up and makes it even easier.

Beef distributed on the dehydrator trays.

 What my dehydrator looks like.

 Now, this is NOT a good picture of the jerky.  I need to reshoot this next time.  Don't let that deter you from trying it though!

Perfectly Spicy & Sweet Beef Jerky

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons cracked black pepper, or to taste

4 pounds lean round roast (or other very lean cut), sliced very thin

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

5 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)

In a small bowl or cup, mix together the onion powder, garlic powder, and some cracked black pepper. 

In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together the brown sugar, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, liquid smoke flavoring and pineapple juice. Heat until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. Add the seasoning mixture to the marinade.  Pour over the meat, and mix by hand to coat really well. Seal the bowl, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to marinate (overnight is best though).

Arrange the beef strips on the rack of a dehydrator. Dry for 5 hours, or to your desired dryness.

Store in refrigerator. 

One Year Ago:  Italian Wedding Soup