Swedish Meatballs

This has been another eventful week with the family’s ailments. I know that it is the season for this and everyone is going through one form or another of the crud. My son has had a temperature of 104 for the last two days with no other symptoms. I have been keeping it under control with Motrin and Tylenol and semi-warm bathing. I just do not like not knowing what is causing him to have the fever. One thing is he has not lost his appetite. He is even making requests for what mommy should make for dinner. Tonight he asked me to bring him home some Chinese, being a sucker for sick little boys I did. I also made him one of his favorite dishes, Swedish meatballs. Here is what you will need.

4lb Bag of Meatballs

Family size can of soup (cream of mushroom, cream of celery, or cream of chicken)

8oz. sour cream

Milk

Noodles

Side Vegetable

I particularly love making Swedish meatballs on days that I am going to be gone all day. I like coming home to a dinner that all I have to do is boil some water for the noodles. The meatballs are cooked in a crockpot on low for however long you are gone. However, they can be ready in a couple hours if I wanted. There are a few different ways that I have made this recipe. It really depends on a person’s palette in deciding what to use. I preferably like the Armour brand meatballs, they are of the few that I have found that are pork and not beef. I love the piquant flavor they have. Of the soups, I like using the cream of chicken best; it allows the meatball essence to stand out the most. I like the cream of mushroom and celery, but many family members do not because of the pieces of vegetables in them. I also find them to have a saltier taste. Each of them deliver a variety of flavor to the dish, if anything way to change up a simple meal occasionally.

In order to make these I put the entire bag of frozen meatballs and soup mixed with about ½-cup milk in the crockpot. I leave it on low for the duration of the time I am gone. When I return or in about two hours, I will add the sour cream and sometimes more milk if the gravy seems too thick. I also make a side vegetable and noodles to serve as well.

New Pasta Attachment

Early last week, I received in the mail, my order of semolina flour. I had searched many of the stores in my area and could not find it. I was not able to remember where I was able to obtain it last time. I found it on Amazon.com for a good price. This week I received the pasta extruder I purchased brand new on E-bay. The price on the KitchenAid Website was more than I wanted to pay. I really like being able to find good deals. I purchased the pasta extruder because it has a spaghetti attachment that will be more to my liking in the thickness of the noodle.

A pasta extruder has a few different added benefits from the other pasta making attachments. It makes six different shaped noodles, such as homemade large or small macaroni, fusilli, rigatoni, bucatini, or spaghetti. I will only have to place balls of dough through the hopper. Instead of having to flatten the dough first then insert it into the cutter. This attachment has a wire cutter that enables me to cut the noodles to the length I prefer as well. I am not at a loss with the other attachments, as they will continue to make the egg noodles that we loved so much. I look forward to classes slowing down so I can have more of an opportunity to play with my new food investment.

Homemade French Fries and Chicken Tenders

Today was a good day! I was able to have some of my family over for dinner tonight. My dad, brother, sister in-law, and their two daughters all came. I made homemade french fries, homemade chicken tenders, and box brownies. I have to be careful with what I cook when my dad is around. He is not able to eat certain grains, seeds, or potato skins due to a medical condition. I am always extremely careful to make sure that I either make his separate or change the normal way I do things to accommodate his needs. For example, for my french fries I only peel them for him, as I think they taste best with them on. I cook the French fries first as they will stay warm in a covered container while frying the chicken.

The french fries are easy enough to make. Set the deep fryer to 375* and let the oil warm completely. It depends on how many people there are, as to how many potatoes are needed. Tonight I used a 5lb bag of potatoes and there was not any left over. Anyways, I wash and cut the fries into thick strips (½ x 1 inch). Depending on the thickness of the fry, I will cook them for about 10-12 minutes. Salt is optional.

For the chicken tenders, I actually buy the breast tenders in the meat section. I have used chicken breast and cut them to size as well. **I boil my chicken for about 30 minutes to make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked**. I drain and set aside to cool while I prep the rest of dinner. Beat three large eggs in a bowl and set aside. In another flat-bottomed container, I put in about a cup of flour and one cup crushed corn flakes. I mix in a variety of seasonings: lemon pepper, garlic pepper, seasoning salt, and Montréal chicken seasoning. I coat the chicken in the egg and then the flour. Put them in the deep fryer for about 2-3 minutes, enough to crisp the coating and heat the chicken.

**I boil the chicken first for three reasons. First, it makes certain that the chicken is thoroughly cooked; no guess time when it comes to deep-frying. Second, the chicken is not submersed and completely saturated in the oil; making the chicken non-greasy. Lastly, the chicken remains juicy and tender.**

Have a great week!!

Long Week

This week has been long one. I have not done hardly any cooking, as no one is hungry due to the viruses floating around. I still have yet to get completely up to par but at least the worst part is over for me. My little girl Taylor is still up tonight because she cannot stop coughing long enough to stay asleep. Out of all of us, I would have thought she would have the higher immunity system. She is an amazingly healthy eater. She is only three-years-old and could do 90 percent of her shopping in the produce section. She will eat almost every fruit and vegetable available to her. She literally gets excited when I bring her home “her” container of cherry tomatoes, which she will eat in one setting. If I want to eat any of them, I have to hide them. I guess I am just extremely awed by her choice of diet. When it just seems you have to fight most children to eat their vegetables. It personally has been a losing battle with my son, Jaiden, as I cannot think of one single vegetable that he will eat. That he knows of I should say. I can sneak vegetables into his food as long as it blends completely. The next thing I am going to try with everyone is cauliflower-mashed potatoes. I am interested myself to see how it tastes.

Triple-Layer Chocolate-Peppermint Bars

The time has come in the semester when the newness of classes beginning has worn off. Things are becoming more fast-paced and overwhelming to some. I am not so overwhelmed that I am going to scream, yet! I do find myself lacking the time and or energy for extracurricular cooking. I have kept things basic for the last few weeks. I am feeling rather sad that I have not been able to put together a family meal lately. I might just have to make a point to get my parents up to my place this weekend. We will see what the next few days have to bring.

On that note, I am going to share with you a recipe I made for my husband’s Christmas party. I think it has a Christmas and Valentines aura to it, so it would be good for either holiday. On the other hand, if you like peppermint anytime is a good time to make this. This is not a recipe that you can put together last minute. There are quite a few steps in the process of making this dessert. It may seem tedious but the overall result is delectable.

CRUST

½ cup chocolate mint chips

¼ cup unsalted butter, cut up

1 ¼ Cups chocolate cookie crumbs (put 24 chocolate wafer cookies in a bag and crush with rolling pin)

FILLING

¾ cup chocolate mint chips, divided

1 tablespoon plus ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened, divided

2 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

3/8 teaspoon peppermint extract (1/4 + 1/8 teaspoons)

¼-teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

TOPPING

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies (shake crushed candy in a fine strainer to remove fine candy dust)

Heat oven to 350*F. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. Heat ½-cup chocolate mint chips and ¼-cup butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cookie crumbs. Press into bottom of pan. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until fragrant and cool completely on wire rack.

Heat ½-cup of the chocolate mint chips and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.

Beat remaining ¼-cup butter and cream cheese in a large bowl at medium speed until smooth. Beat in 2 tablespoons cream and peppermint and vanilla extracts. Reduce speed to low; beat in cooled chocolate mixture. Slowly beat in powdered sugar. Stir in remaining ¼-cup chocolate mint chips. Spread over crust; smooth out the top. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until set.

Meanwhile, place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring ½-cup cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat; pour over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute; stir until smooth. Cool at room temperature 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened but still pourable. Spread over filling; sprinkle with peppermint candies. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set. Store in refrigerator and keep chilled while serving.

Enjoy!

Goulash

I have been sick the last few days. I have not been doing a whole lot, except homework. Trying to stay focused with a cloudy mind is not an easy task. I am been so cold that I turned the heat up to 72 from my normal 68. Therefore, last night I chose to make one of my son’s favorite dishes to help warm me up. I made goulash; I need to find out where this dish got its name and where it derived from. It would be interesting to see if the basic recipe has stayed the same or if it has changed from generations or countries.

I think mine is a basic recipe. I use rotini noodles, hamburger, onions, sometimes mushrooms, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, V-8 juice, and some seasonings. I usually only season the burger and I use seasoning salt, garlic granules, chili powder, and garlic pepper seasoning. Macaroni is typically the norm for most, but I like the way the rotini is enveloped by the juices. I also use V-8 instead of tomato juice because I think the V-8 enhances the flavor. However, if I had my grandmas canned tomato juice, that would have made this even more delectable. Oh how I miss her!

Post Super Bowl

The Super Bowl party was a complete success. Good times with good friends and of course some good food. Everyone really enjoyed the dishes I had prepared. In the words of one of my husband’s friends “I can’t get away from this, it’s like liquid cocaine”. He was speaking of the banana split dessert. When I heard him say this, it really made me smile. As stated before, my love for cooking comes from satisfying another’s palette. It was very delightful to see that there were no leftovers to be found.

In addition, I was thinking of other ways to make the tacos into even more of an appetizer dish. I thought that if I used the scoop/bowl tortilla chips that you could actually make bite-sized portions. I question the how the saltiness of the chips will affect the taste. I will have to look into this to see if I can find some without salt. I think this will be a great idea for this summer’s Fourth of July picnic that we have at my husband’s parents in Harrisville, Michigan.

Super Bowl Dishes

I am excited that this weekend is the Super Bowl. I am not team specific in general; I just like the whole aspect of football. We are hosting a Super Bowl this weekend. I will be making three different dishes for everyone. My husband and his friends seem to like spicy foods. I do not eat anything that is spicy. The nice thing about two of these recipes is that you can change the level of “spicy” for whomever you are cooking. I will be making stuffed jalapeños, mini southwest buffalo chicken tacos, and banana split dessert. The ingredients you will need for the dishes are:

1) Stuffed Jalapeños

1/3 c. tomato paste

1lb. breakfast sausage (mild or spicy)

½ c. water

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

20 fresh jalapeños

2) Banana Split Dessert

2 c. graham cracker crumbs

½ c. margarine, melted

8oz. cream cheese

2 c. powdered sugar

4 large bananas

20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

8oz. cool whip, thawed

8 medium strawberries

1 tbsp. chocolate syrup

¼ c. Nuts optional

3) Southwest Buffalo Chicken Tacos

½ tsp. cornstarch

3 tbsp. taco sauce

7 oz. chicken breast, chunked

1 stalk diced celery

½ c. crumbled blue cheese

4 Taco hard shells or mini hard shells

 

1) You will start by halving the jalapeños, making sure you remove the seeds and membranes. Leave the stems intact for easier handling. I recommend wearing gloves during this process to protect you from later burning from juices left on your hands.

You will start by browning the sausage in a large skillet, drain fat. Stir in the water, paste, and chili powder. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in ½ cup of cheese.

On a cookie sheet, spoon about a tablespoon of sausage mixture into each pepper. You can choose to bake these at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or you can cook on a grill, medium heat, for 9-12 minutes or until peppers are tender. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

2) Combine crumbs and melted margarine. Press evenly and firmly into the bottom 13x9 pan.

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese and sugar, blend until smooth, spoon evenly over crumb crust. Slice bananas and arrange on top of the cream cheese layer. Spoon the pineapple on top of the bananas. Spread the whipped topping over the pineapple. Arrange the strawberry halves in 4 rows across the top. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and sprinkle with nuts (optional).

Cover and refrigerate for 4-8 hours.

3) In a small bowl, add cornstarch and taco sauce (mild or hot). Stir well.

Heat chicken thoroughly and drain any excess liquid. Add taco sauce and stir. Reduce heat until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Stir to prevent sticking. Divide into 4 large shells or mini taco shells. Top all with celery and blue cheese crumbles.

I truly hope you enjoy these recipes and may even try one this weekend.