Sunday Dinner

Ever wondered how to get dinner on the table in less than an hour after church? I just love how today's dinner turned out, thanks to the indoor cast iron pot we got for Christmas!

Roasted Turkey Breast
1 bone-in turkey breast
1 T. chicken base
1-2 T. Montreal steak seasoning

Rinse turkey, inside and out. Place in cast iron pot. Rub with chicken base. Sprinkle with seasoning. Cover with lid. Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours.

Home-Style Scalloped Potatoes (from Dinner on a Dime, p. 182)
The secret to the success of this recipe is plenty of sauce!
1/3 cup chopped onion
5 T. butter
5 T. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
5 cups milk
6 cups thinly sliced potatoes (we used 4 good-size potatoes)

In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Place half of potatoes in a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Pour half of sauce over potatoes. Repeat layers. Bake, covered, at 300 degrees for 3 hours.

Frosty Lemon-Raspberry Dessert (adapted from Dinner on a Dime, p. 230)
Tart and creamy! A simple and easy version of Frosty Strawberry Squares!
2 cups raspberry puree
1 can (12 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 T. sugar
5 T. melted butter

Mix puree, lemonade, and ice cream in a large bowl (we used a potato masher to make sure it was well-mixed). In a medium-size bowl, mix crumbs, sugar and butter. Press crumbs (reserve 1/4 cup) into 9x13 pan. Pour ice cream mixture on top of crumbs. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Cover and freeze for several hours or overnight. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving.

Sausage Rice Casserole

I tried this recipe from Taste of Home's Dinner on a Dime, page 154. The person submitting the recipe said, "I fiddled around with this dish, trying to adjust it to my family's tastes. When my pickiest child cleaned her plate, I knew I'd found the exact right flavor combination."

2 packages (7.2 ounces each) rice pilaf
2 pounds bulk pork sausage (I used 1 1/2 pounds and it was enough for us)
6 celery ribs, chopped (I only used 3)
4 medium carrots, sliced (I didn't add this at all)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Prepare rice mixes according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage, celery and carrots over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain on 3 paper towels.

In a large bowl, combine the sausage mixture, rice, soups, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper. Transfer to two gareased 11x7x2-inch baking dishes.

Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed.

Yield: 2 casseroles (6-8 servings each)

Best Beef Stew

A recent post on “My Kitchen Café” was a sample menu planner in calendar format. In the past I have tried similar menu planning techniques, but usually I just jot the plans down on scratch paper. This time, I completed my menu plans on the template provided by “My Kitchen Café”; then I printed it off on the computer. There is something about a typed menu plan that just seems so much more official. So far, I have stuck with my plans (3 days in a row)! Considering how much I change my mind, that is actually quite good for me. Several of the menus I have planned are aimed at using up some of the beef I have in the freezer. This is one such recipe.

It has been a while since we have had beef stew—and this recipe is a keeper! Some of the ingredients may seem a little odd for stew, but believe me—the stew is amazingly “beefy” with a rich, velvety broth. Before Christmas, I wouldn’t have been able to make this recipe due to lack of proper equipment. But now, thanks to the indoor cast-iron Dutch oven Mom and Dad gave us, I was able to make this. I completed the recipe through step 5 in the morning to help make supper meal preparation a breeze.

INGREDIENTS
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
4 anchovy fillets , finely minced (about 2 teaspoons) (trust me—these are great in this)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 boneless beef chuck-eye roast (about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 ounces salt pork, rinsed of excess salt
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin (about 1 packet)
1/2 cup water
1 cup frozen peas , thawed
Table salt and ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine garlic and anchovies in small bowl; press with back of fork to form paste. Stir in tomato paste and set mixture aside.
2. Pat meat dry with paper towels. Do not season. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add half of beef and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total, reducing heat if oil begins to smoke or fond begins to burn. Transfer beef to large plate. Repeat with remaining beef and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, leaving second batch of meat in pot after browning.
3. Reduce heat to medium and return first batch of beef to pot. Add onion and carrots to Dutch oven and stir to combine with beef. Cook, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds.
4. Slowly add beef broth, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Increase heat to high and allow broth to simmer until thickened and slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, and salt pork. Bring to simmer, cover, transfer to oven, and cook for 1-1/2 hours.
5. Remove pot from oven; remove and discard bay leaves and salt pork. Stir in potatoes, cover, return to oven, and cook until potatoes are almost tender, about 45 minutes.
6. Using large spoon, skim any excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in pearl onions; cook over medium heat until potatoes and onions are cooked through and meat offers little resistance when poked with fork (meat should not be falling apart), about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl and allow to soften for 5 minutes.
7. Increase heat to high, stir in softened gelatin mixture and peas; simmer until gelatin is fully dissolved and stew is thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Noodle Rice Pilaf

I found this in Taste of Home's Dinner on a Dime, page 191. It tastes just like Rice-a-Roni and is a lot less expensive. I used "fideo cortado (fino)" for the fine egg noodles.

1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 cup uncooked fine egg noodles or vermicelli
2 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I sprinkled in dried parsley)
In a large saucepan, cook and stir the rice and noodles in butter for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

BLT Pasta

Here's what we had for dinner tonight. It was fast to make and very delicious!

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
1 pound orecchiette (or other small pasta)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese


1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bread and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl and wipe out skillet.

2. Cook bacon in empty skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat. Cook onion in bacon fat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1½ cups cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in tomatoes, baby spinach, Parmesan, bacon, onion mixture, and 1 cup reserved pasta water (adding additional water as needed). Season with salt and pepper and top with croutons. Serve.

Recipe from Cook's Country (February 2010)

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

Bart has always liked bread pudding, but I have never found the idea of it too appetizing. I finally decided to make some. I thought making a chocolate variation would increase the chances of me liking it. My strategy worked! We all really liked this variation on bread pudding. We served it for breakfast. It was quick to make, used up some bread that needed used, and tasted delicious.

4 cups dried white bread cubes (6 to 7 slices) *(To prepare bread cubes, cut bread into ½-inch cubes, spread on a baking sheet, and bake in a 300°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until dry, stirring twice; cool.)
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups chocolate milk
¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 1-1/2-quart casserole; set aside. In a large bowl combine bread cubes and chocolate chips.

In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Stir into bread mixture. Pour into the prepared casserole.

Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 55 minutes or until puffed and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool slightly. If desired, serve with whipped cream.

Canadian Honey Drops

I won a blue ribbon at the fair for these delicious cookies when I was in 4-H. I hadn't made them for years so I called Mom for the recipe. They are still yummy!

1 cup soft shortening (I used 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup butter)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

Mix the shortening, butter, brown sugar and eggs thoroughly. Stir in the honey and vanilla. Sift together the flour and soda and stir in. Chill until firm, several hours or overnight (I didn't chill it.) Roll into balls the size of larger walnuts. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until almost no imprint remains when lightly touched with a finger.