Saturday, January 26, 2013

Unstuffed Cabbage

I bought a head of cabbage with all good intentions of making a big pot of stuffed cabbage during this cold weather.
I took the easy way out and made "unstuffed cabbage".  All the flavor of regular cabbage rolls, but alot less bother to make.
When I make stuffed cabbage and there is any meat filling left and no cabbage leaves, I usually just make meatballs and add them to the pot.
This is how this recipe came about.
If you would like to make regular stuffed cabbage,
This is my recipe:
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Grandma
 
1 head green cabbage, cored and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 28 oz. can tomatoes with juice, chopped
1 can tomato soup
1 can water
Meatballs
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups cooked white rice
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. paprika
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Add cabbage, tomatoes, tomato soup, water and salt and pepper to pressure cooker (this can also be done on your stovetop).
Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes.
Simmer on the stove about 20 minutes or until cabbage is tender.
Saute onion in butter until golden brown.  Let cool slightly.
Mix beef, sauteed onion (along with the butter in the pan), rice, egg, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt and pepper.  Mix by  hand until combined.
Form into meatballs.
Add to cabbage and tomato mixture and simmer over low heat until meatballs are cooked through (approx. 30 minutes.  Stir gently during cooking time to be sure meatballs are submerged in sauce.
Serve hot in bowls with freshly ground pepper and maybe some rye bread and butter.
Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Buttermilk Corn Muffins

I have tried so many recipes for homemade corn muffins and they all disappointed.
I tried the Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix with Yellow cake mix - You might as well just bake a cake.
Ina Garten's recipe was a total flop.
This recipe, in my opinion, is the best one I have come across.
I was trying to find a "bakery style" muffin that we used to get at a small restaurant
we used to go to for lunch.
They would toast a large corn muffin on the griddle and serve with grape jelly.
This is the way I toast my corn muffins.
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1-1/4 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
5-1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Have ready 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups or 6 large.
In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, cream and cornmeal; set aside.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
Whisk together the egg and melted butter; add to the cornmeal mixture and mix well.
Combine with the flour mixture just until combined.  Do not overmix.
Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes for large muffins; 15 minutes for regular size.
Melt 2 Tbsp. butter on a griddle or in a heavy skillet.
Slice muffin in half and place cut side down in skillet.
Cook until muffin is golden brown and crispy.
Serve with grape jelly.
From Pamel's - Broad Street

Monday, January 21, 2013

Cheesy Garlic Bread

You won't be disappointed in this garlic bread.
It's cheesy
It's warm and crunchy
It's just waiting for some warm marinara to dip into
5 garlic cloves, grated
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 tsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 baguette, sliced in half horizontally
2 cups shredded Italian Blend Mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Move rack to the 2nd from bottom space.
Saute garlic, 1 Tbsp. butter and water over low heat until garlic is lightly toasted (about 5 minutes)
Combine hot garlic, 7 Tbsp. butter, salt and pepper in a bowl and spread on both halved of the bread.
Put the halves back together and wrap in foil.
Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Unwrap bread and place halves, buttered side up on baking sheet.
Bake until it begins to color, about 7 minutes.
Remove from the oven and heat up your broiler.
Sprinkle bread with cheese.  Sprinkle with oregano
Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bread is crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve with your favorite pasta dish
or just dip into some warm marinara.
~Adapted from America's Test Kitchen
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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Retro Recipes #SundaySupper - English Muffin Pizzas

This week #SundaySupper is taking us "back in the day" with Retro Recipes that we all grew up with.
Sunday Supper Movement Do you remember your Mom making you English Muffin Pizzas?
We had them alot growing up and it's a great memory of mine.
It was fun for us to create our own little pizzas.
Does anyone remember Butoni Toast-R-Pizzas?
Some sort of a shell-like crust that burned the roof of your mouth
and the filling in the middle was usually still frozen.
There are alot of recipes for English Muffin Pizzas out there - the idea has been around forever it seems.
Just one word of advice.
You must toast the English Muffin before your put on your sauce and cheese.
After all, the best part is all those little crispy nooks and crannies!
I always like mine "well done".
I would toast them twice to make them extra crispy.

Join us Around the Family Table this Sunday at 7pm Eastern Time and share your favorite Retro Food Memory with us!

Sunday Supper Retro Appetizers:
Sunday Supper Retro Salads:

Sunday Supper Retro Breads and Sandwiches:

SundaySupper Main Dishes:
Sunday Supper Retro Sides and Veggies:

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Chicken Tinga

This is the first time I have used tomatillos.  My niece has been on a Mexican food kick, looking for small out-of-the-way restaurants with homey, authentic  Mexican flavors.  She inspired me to try something a little more authentic.  Look for firm tomatillos, still in their husks with no bruises.
Chicken:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. whole peppercorns
1 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic
1/4 medium onion
1 bay leaf

Tinga:

1 Tbsp. canola or corn oil
1/2 large onion, slivered
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 whole, peeled tomatoes (canned)
2 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. sauce from chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (I used 2 teaspoons!)*
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To Serve:

Corn Tostadas, store bought or homemade
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Queso fresco, crumbled
Avocado slices
For the chicken:

Place the chicken, peppercorns, salt, garlic, bay leaf and onion in a medium sauce.  Add water just to cover chicken.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes.  Remove chicken from the liquid.  When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into a bowl and set aside.

For the tinga:

Place tomatillos in a small saucepan, cover with water.  Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, or until tomatillos are soft.  Remove from water, remove the core, and place them, along with the tomatoes in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Stir in the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.  Pour the tomato/tomatillo sauce into the pan.  Add oregano, chipotle sauce and salt and pepper.  Let simmer until sauce turns a deep, red color, about 10 minutes.
Add the shredded chicken and combine with the sauce.  Let simmer, stirring occasionally until the 
chicken has absorbed most of the sauce and the mixture is moist.
Add chicken mixture on top of tostada and top with lettuce, avocado and crumbled cheese.  This was so tasty.  The next time I make this (and I will) I would chop up the shredded chicken to make it a little easier to eat.
Enjoy!
Adapted from Pati's Mexican Table
*Puree remaining chipotle peppers in a food processor,
  add to a ziplock bag and form into a log.  Freeze for later use.
  Just cut off the portion you need.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Easy Biscuit Dough Doughnuts

As a member of The Daily Meal Culinary Content Network, each week the SWAT team gets an ingredient to cook.  Usually it's something simple like bacon or chicken breast.
This week was Refrigerated Biscuit Dough.
How many things can you make with biscuits?
Here are a few more ideas!
6 things you Didn't know you could make with Pillsbury Biscuits
You can make fresh, hot doughnuts.
1 can Pillsbury "Grands" Biscuit dough
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Heat oil in a heavy skillet.
Take each biscuit and using a 1-inch cookie cutter or a shot glass,
remove the "munchkin" from the center of the biscuit.
Fry a few at a time about 1 minute on each side until golden.
Immediately roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Cover them with powdered sugar, chocolate glaze or even leave whole and fill with jelly!
Enjoy!
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Mixitup

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Happy Birthday #SundaySupper!

We are celebrating!
What a better way to celebrate than to choose a recipe that inspired us from our talented contributors!
This mission was next to impossible! 
I am honored to be part of this amazing group.
Feedback from some of my followers tell me that they look forward to @SundaySupper every week!
That goes for us as well!
We have so many great themes and recipes and each week we are all excited and look forward to see what everyone has created!
Together, we have created a movement that has grown in leaps in bounds and is making a difference in the lives of families.  The Sunday Supper Movement took off and received so much recognition, that we have launched our #WeekdaySupper initiative.  It starts off as one day a week and soon becomes a way of life.  This year, we will feature easy Weekday Supper Recipes every day of the week!

 Sunday Supper Appetizers:
 Sunday Supper Soups and Breads:
 Sunday Supper Main Dishes: 
I chose to make Chicken Soup with Dumplings from Jennie at The Messy Baker.


If you read her post, someone twisted her arm to make the dumplings for her soup.
Certainly glad he did!
Dumplings and soup are the most comforting.
Jennie has great recipes and amazing food photos!
Be sure to head on over to Jennie's Blog!

  • 1 (3 to 4-pound whole chicken, cleaned 
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 cloves
  • 4 quarts water
  • 1 lb. carrots peeled and cut into chunks
  • 4 stalks celery with leaves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 onion, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small bunch fresh thyme, washed and tied with string
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

For the dumplings:
  • 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
Season the chicken with salt to taste, and push 2 cloves into 1 of the chicken thighs. (This does not add any clove taste to the broth - I've just been doing this forever!  Add it to a large stock pot, cover with about 4 quarts water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  When soup comes to a simmer, skim the surface with a ladle.  Discard any "scum" that accumulates.  Add carrots, celery, onion and thyme bundle.  After about 45 minutes at a gentle simmer (don't let the soup boil), taste the soup and adjust the seasoning.  Use a large spoon and a pair of tongs to remove the chicken to a baking sheet and allow it to cool for a few minutes.  Remove and discard the thyme bundle.  Break the chicken into bite-size pieces and add them to the soup.

To the stock, add 1/2 cup heavy cream.  Bring to a simmer.  Combine ingredients for dumplings and using a small ice cream scoop or spoon, place dollops onto simmering broth.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes.


Containers of chicken stock will last for 5 days refrigerated and for 6 months in the freezer.
Freezing Tip:  Freeze some in 1 cup containers for quick meals or in ice cube trays to add to sauces.

We are excited to announce a New Addition:  Tablescape by An Appealing Plan, Anniversay Dinner featuring Cheesecake with Fresh Berries orginally posted by The Messy Baker Blog
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.
Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement.

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