Our Best Waffles Ever

Last night I was reading an article about geek cooking and came across a recipe for yeasty waffles. I don't know the exact source (I'll post it later if I find it) but here is my approximation of the recipe. It was so easy to combine the ingredients before bed, cover and refrigerate the batter overnight. My husband, who claims to be neither a baker nor a waffle maker, turned out excellent specimens for the kids while I slept in. What's tastier than that?

 Overnight Yeasty Waffles

Combine in a large bowl or plastic storage container.

1/4 c melted butter (I microwaved it right in the mixing bowl)
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbs honey
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 c flour (I was out of ordinary flour so used White Lily Self Rising Flour and omitted 1 tsp of salt called for in the original recipe)

Whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate overnight. To cook, preheat waffle iron to medium. Fill 2/3 full and cook until steam is released and waffles are golden. Leftover batter may be stored refrigerated for a 2 days. 

Cumberland Sauce

This is a traditional British sauce, apparently - i made it for the first time this Easter, to serve with baked ham. It was impressively tasty - so much so that i helped myself to an extra piece of ham, just to have an excuse to eat more sauce! It is served cold, and will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for a week or so.

• zest of 1 lemon, cut in wide strips
• zest of 1 orange, cut in wide strips
• juice of 1 lemon (use the one you just zested ... and the orange can be cut up for a pineapple glaze)
• 1/2 cup of red currant jelly
• 1 Tblsp port
• 1 Tlbsp powdered sugar
• 2 tspn Dijon mustard
• pinch ground ginger
• pepper

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil; add the lemon and orange zest, and boil for 5 minutes, 'til zest is soft. Drain and rinse, discarding the water. 

Cut the zest into very thin strips, and return to saucepan. Stir in lemon juice, currant jelly, port, sugar, mustard, and ginger, and place on very low heat. Cook, stirring often, very gently, until jelly melts and mixture is smooth; be careful not to let the sauce boil or scorch. Use a small whisk to remove any final lumps of jelly or mustard, and remove from heat. Season with pepper, to taste, and refrigerate 'til ready to use.

If the sauce seems more thick than you like, use a bit of port to thin it.

Traditionally served with ham, venison, beef, and other "non-white" meats.

Easter Ham with Pineapple Glaze

We had a hickory-smoked ham this year for Easter (i know, ever-so-Kosher!), mostly because i waited too long to go shopping for a ham, and they were completely out of the honey-glazed, spiral-sliced one that i usually buy. This one was bought at Aldi, for $1.29/lb.

• Smoked ham - butt or shank portion
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh pineapple
• 1 Navel orange, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• whole cloves

Preheat oven to 325. Place ham in a shallow pan - make sure you've taken off ALL the wrappings ... i failed to do that, one year - and cover. Cook for 15 minutes per pound.

While ham is cooking, combine pineapple, orange, brown sugar, and ginger for glaze, and set aside.

45 MINUTES BEFORE HAM WILL BE FINISHED

Remove ham from oven, and uncover. Score the fat in whatever pattern you like - i prefer the traditional diamond pattern - and stud with whole cloves. Apply pineapple glaze mixture, and return ham (uncovered) to the oven for the final 45 minutes of cooking.

If you have extra pineapple mixture, it can be heated up gently, on very low heat, in a small saucepan, and passed at the table.

Excellent served with Cumberland Sauce.

Pasta Carbonara

This is one of my favorite dishes, despite the fact that it is in no way "healthy," when judged by today's dietary standards and concerns. Nonetheless, it's easy and relatively inexpensive, and uses ingredients that are almost always on-hand in the pantry and refrigerator. The following quantity makes a generous main course for two, or enough to serve 4-6 as a starter. This is traditionally made with prosciutto, which is an unsmoked Italian bacon; i use plain bacon, whatever i have in the meat drawer, and if it is strongly flavored of hickory, i sometimes rinse it first.

• 3-4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
• splash of olive oil
• 1/2 # of spaghetti, linguine, or other straight pasta
• 2-3 eggs
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper

Combine the bacon, garlic, and olive oil in a skillet, and set on low heat. Stir regularly, and slowly increase the heat to render the fat and cook the bacon 'til crispy - this will likely take 15-20 minutes. Drain the bacon, reserving the fat in the skillet.

In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Beat the eggs in the serving bowl you plan to use, and then stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Combine the pasta and bacon fat, and then stir carefully into the egg and cheese mixture - if you aren't careful, you can end up with scrambled egg, instead of the creamy sauce. When pasta is well-tossed in the cheese, egg, and fat mixture, season to taste with salt and pepper and divide into individual bowls. Sprinkle each serving with the cooked bacon bits, and serve immediately. Pass extra Parmesan cheese at the table.

Maple Horseradish Glaze

This is adapted from a recipe by Bobby Flay, who mostly irritates me, but i was flipping channels one day, and heard him mention maple syrup and horseradish in the same breath, which gave me reason to pause. The original recipe uses it on BBQ pork ribs; we have also used it on salmon and chicken, as well as various other cuts of pork, and it is simply wonderful. The meat, except for salmon, which cooks so quickly anyway, should be nearly done before you apply the glaze, or the maple syrup will burn too quickly, and not crystallize quite right. The recipe calls for ancho chili powder, which i make by toasting dried anchos (bought in the Hispanic spices section of the local grocery store) in a skillet, and then processing them to a powder in a coffee grinder that i keep especially for these sorts of things. That being said, i have used plain, store-bought chili powder as a substitute, and it tastes just fine. Finally, i don't see how this recipe could work properly, nor taste right, without REAL PURE maple syrup, so please splurge and get the good stuff, and don't use maple-flavored Mrs. Butterworth's, or anything like that!

• 
  
• 2 cups pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup prepared horseradish, drained
• 2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix everything together, and use on whatever meat you like. This keeps, covered, in the refrigerator for at least a week.

Curried Pear Squash Soup

This is a great example of tasty, nutritious, easy, Winter comfort food.

I make my own curry powder, the recipe for which I will post one day when I bother to figure it up and write it down. In the meantime, use whatever curry powder you have available, but be aware that the end result may be less spectacular if using McCormick's or store-brand seasoning.

I originally came across this recipe on a recipe brochure from Angel Food Ministries that was included in a produce box that, conveniently, contained both a Butternut Squash and several pears.

Although meatless, this dish is not strictly vegetarian as presented; use vegetable broth in lieu of chicken if this is of concern. I have substituted a can of pears for the fresh pears in a pinch, and the difference is negligible; I use the pear juice as a substitute for an equal volume of chicken broth.

This soup freezes very well and smells heavenly whilst cooking.

Curried Pear and Butternut Squash Soup


2# Butternut Squash
3 Tbsp Butter
1 Onion, minced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 tsp Ginger, minced
1 Tbsp Curry Powder
1 tsp Salt
4 c Chicken Broth
2 Pears, peeled and diced
1/2 c 1/2-&-1/2
Salt & Pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and arrange the squash halves cut side down. Bake for 45 minutes, until very soft. Allow to cool and scoop out the cooked flesh.
2. Heat the butter in a pot on medium heat until foamy. Stir in onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder and salt; cook until soft and fragrant - about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a low boil. Add reserved squash and pears. Return to a boil and reduce to low; simmer until pears are soft - about 30 minutes.
4. Puree the soup; I use a hand blender and do it directly in the pan. A blender would also work, or even a food processor, in a pinch; do it carefully in small batches.
5. Stir cream into the soup and heat on low until warm throughout. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Coffee Cup Cake

This is a dangerously easy and instantly gratifying treat!

In a large coffee cup, mug, or ramekin combine the following:

4 tbs flour
4tbs sugar
2 tbs cocoa powder -or- 1 tbs vanilla -or- 3 tbs chocolate chips
1 beaten agg
3 tbs oil
3 tbs milk

Combine well with a fork. Microwave at full power 3 minutes.

Edge Brownie Pan

I stumbled across this today and just have to pass it 0n. What a grand invention! I bet you can use it for sand castles too ;) Don't mind that grit in the brownies!

Rathbun's PBB Cream Pie. O My.

I just happened across this lovely recipe and will revisit it at the holidays. Here for safe keeping:

For the pastry 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup shortening 1/4 cup ice-cold water For the vanilla cream 2 cups heavy whipping cream 1/2 vanilla bean 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 3 tablespoons water 2/3 cup granulated sugar 6 large egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue) For the meringue 6 large egg whites 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar For the tarts or pie 1/2 cup Skippy creamy peanut butter 2 bananas, sliced 1/4 inch thick
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. To prepare the pastry: Sift the flour, sugar and salt together in a mound. Using your fingers, crumble the shortening into the flour mixture until the shortening is in pea-size pieces. Make a well in middle of the mixture and add the water; mix until the dough just comes together. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Roll the dough out on a floured surface (or between 2 pieces of parchment paper) to about 1/8-inch thickness. Use a 4-inch ring cutter to cut out 8 circles, and line the bottom and sides of the tart pans. (Alternately, use the whole sheet of rolled pastry to line a 9-inch pie pan. Freeze for 10 minutes. Line the pastry with foil and fill with dry beans; bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.) To prepare the vanilla cream: Place the cream and vanilla bean in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the bean steep for 30 minutes, then scrape the seeds from the bean. Prepare an ice bath by nesting a dry bowl inside another bowl that is filled partway with ice water. In a small bowl or cup, stir together the cornstarch and water and set aside. Stir 2/3 cup sugar into the cream and return to a boil. Whisk a small amount of the hot cream into the egg yolks, and then whisk the yolk mixture back into the cream. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the cream. Cook until the mixture is thick and just starts to bubble on the sides, about 2 minutes. Pour it through the strainer into the bowl set in the ice bath. Let the vanilla cream cool to room temperature, stirring a couple of times to bring the temperature down quickly. Refrigerate until needed. To make the meringue: Place the egg whites and sugar into the top of a double boiler set over boiling water. Whisk the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and the temperature of the egg whites reaches 165 degrees. Pour the hot whites into the bowl of a mixer with a whisk attachment and whip on high speed until the meringue is thick, stiff and cooled to about room temperature. Place the meringue in a pastry bag with a star tip. To assemble the tarts: Spread equal amounts of peanut butter into the tart shells. Arrange the sliced bananas on top of the peanut butter. Fill the shell to the top with the vanilla cream. Pipe large stars of meringue in concentric circles over the surface of the vanilla cream. (Alternately, mound the meringue over the vanilla cream and smooth with a flat spatula.) If desired, brown the meringue with a propane torch.

Other Food Blogs I Like

http://foodjunta.wordpress.com/

http://clydegilbert.blogspot.com/

http://goodamericanwife.blogspot.com/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/

PERFECT POUND CAKE

I had a Mafia Wars friend request this recipe and I haven't done much recipe posting lately what with the holiday weekend and then "spring" cleaning going on for the past week (and not yet done) so here goes (adapted from a recipe at Chowhound:

PERFECT POUND CAKE:

1 cup unsalted butter
3 cups granulated sugar
8 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I play with extracts a lot, so sometimes I'll use lemon or orange or raspberry, etc. Almond extract is a particular favorite of mine)
1 cup whipping cream (I have used full fat milk in a pinch and it came out just fine, but prefer the cream)
3 cups all purpose flour (sifted three times)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt


Grease and flour two 9 X 5 inch loaf pans, or one bundt pan

DO NOT preheat oven. This cake comes out moist because of starting with a cold oven.

Whisk together all dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugar 'til fluffy and nearly white. Be sure to stop mixer and scrape sides a few times. Add eggs one at a time 'til well beaten.

You will add the flour, alternating with the cream. One cup of flour, beat in, scrape sides, 1/2 cup cream, beat in, 1 cup flour, beat in scrape sides, etc. until you have used all of the flour and cream, ending with flour. Add vanilla (or extract of your choice).

If I want to marble this, when all of the batter is done, I remove about 1/3 of the batter to a suitably sized bowl and mix in 1/2 cup of cocoa powder. Then when pouring batter into the bowl, I pour in half of the plain yellow batter, add the chocolate batter slowly and evenly and cover with the remaining yellow batter.

I've considered cutting back on the sugar a bit with this, but am concerned that it would affect the texture, so I haven't messed with that yet. Since this is so rich, I limit myself to a very narrow slice. Enjoy. Take a long walk the night before to burn off all the calories and fat. :)

Extreme Burgers!

Cheeseburgers for grown-ups!

Double Cheese-Stuffed Burgers

2# Ground beef (85% lean)
1 (5.2 oz) package garlic and herb spreadable cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbspns chopped fresh parsley
½ tspn salt
1 large sweet onion, sliced ¼” thick
2Tbspns olive oil
6 Kaiser rolls, split
½ cup mayonnaise
6 green leaf lettuce leaves

1. Heat grill. Form beef into 12 (4”) patties, ¼” thick. Combine spreadable cheese, cheddar cheese, parsley and salt in medium bowl. Divide mixture into 6 potions; spoon on top of 6 of the patties, spreading to within ¾” of edge. Top with remaining patties; pinch edges to seal well.
2. Brush onion slices with oil. Grill burgers and onions, covered, over medium heat or coals 10-12 minutes or until burgers are thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in center and onions are tender and beginning to char, turning once.
3. Grill rolls, covered, 1-2 minutes or until toasted; spread with mayonnaise. Top burgers with onions; serve in rolls over lettuce.

Sauté and Serve

Nice easy, quick skillet shrimp recipe -

Lowcountry Spicy Shrimp

¼ cup unsalted butter
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ Tbspns Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbspns lime juice
1 tspn grated lime peel
1# shelled, deveined uncooked medium shrimp (31-35 count) – we used slightly bigger
3 Tbspns chopped fresh parsley
2 tspns chopped fresh thyme or ½ tspn dried thyme
½ tspn hot pepper sauce

Heat butter, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice and lime peel in a large skillet over medium-high heat until bubbly. Add shrimp, cook 2-3 minutes or until shrimp just start to turn pink, stirring frequently. Stir in all remaining ingredients; cook 1 minute or until shrimp turn pink.

A New Take On London Broil

We grilled this for dinner one night whilst in the Mountains over the Independence Day weekend. It was positively delectable; we had leftovers served with rice and spinach salad last night, and it was still amazingly tasty. There is another portion left, which I’ll use for fried rice tomorrow night’s supper. Definitely a keeper, from Cooking Pleasures magazine.

Honey-Soy Marinated London Broil

1 small onion, finely chopped
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey
2 Tspns balsamic vinegar
1 ½ tspns minced garlic
1 ½ tspns grated ginger
2# flank steak

1. Combine all ingredients except steak in resealable plastic bag. Add steak; refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
2. Heat grill. Remove steak from marinade, shaking off excess; discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium heat or coals 8-10 minutes for medium-rare, turning once. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Thinly slice.

Kung Pao Me, Baby!

I made this sauce recently, based on a recipe I found in Cooking Pleasures; the original recipe included instructions for chicken kebabs, using mushrooms, frozen pearl onions, zucchini and bell pepper. We used fresh onions and yellow summer squash and added pineapple chunks. I wasn’t wild about the kebab presentation, but the sauce was amazingly good.

Next time I make this, I intend to quadruple it and keep the extra in a jar in the refrigerator; seems like it would be a handy thing to have on hand.

Kung Pao Sauce

½ cup chicken broth
2 tspns cornstarch
4 green onions, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tspns sugar
2 tspns chili paste or sauce, depending upon how it’s labeled – not the sweet stuff
2 tspns rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 tspns sesame oil
½ tspn crushed red pepper

1. Combine broth and cornstarch in small saucepan. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 3 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
2. Use as glaze whilst cooking meats and vegetables, and as a sauce with cooked food.

Caldillo

My Brother-in-Law is visiting next week to help my husband....we helped him remodel his house and he's coming to help us. I don't know how long he'll be able to stay, but he's a good eater. He brought me the bare bones of this recipe from El Paso/New Mexico travels and I found some suggestions at BigOven.com to create a final product. It's really very easy & pretty cheap if you adapt the recipe to what pork you can advantageously get on sale or special for your region...like the marinated pork fajita packs that are available in west Texas. If poblanos are cheaper in produce, I have very successfully substituted those. My husband likes to roast the chiles....I know they taste better but I think he also likes to play with fire. Sometimes, I hearty chop everything because the baby is pulling on me and I got to get it started, but if you take the time to chop/dice the pork, potatoes, and chiles all no larger than 1/2"....oooooh, my.

1 1/2 pound Pork tenderloin -- cut in cubes

1/4 teaspoon White pepper

2 tablespoon Olive oil or canola oil

1 Bay leaf

1 large Onion -- roughly chopped

3 medium Potatoes -- peeled and roughly chopped

1 large Jalapeno pepper -- seeded and diced

1 cup Water

2 Anaheim pepper -- seeded and roughly chopped

1 can Chicken broth -- (12 oz)

3 cloves Garlic -- minced

1 can Beef broth -- (12 oz)

1 1/2 teaspoon Ground cumin

1 Mexican Style Diced Tomatoes -- (14.5 ounce) undrained

1 teaspoon Salt

Brown the pork in oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Add the onion, peppers, garlic, and spices. Saute until the vegetables are tender and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Discard bay leaf before serving.

Cavatappi w/ Ricotta Cream Sauce and Mediterranean Veggies

Cavatappi Cinque al Forno con salsa di formaggio e besciamella Crema Mediterraneo Verdura

(Which is really just Baked Cavatappi with Five Cheese Sauce and Mediterranean Vegetables)

Ingredient List:

1 lb. Cavatappi Pasta (Corkscrews to some) Boiled

2 T. Olive Oil (approximate -I never measure

2 T. Butter

4 oz. Pancetta (or, if you can't get pancetta, unsmoked thick cut bacon)

1 medium onion diced finely

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 c. flour

1 c. pasta cooking water (reserve one cup of the starchy water from boiling your pasta before draining

1 c. Cream or whole milk or Evaporated Milk

1 c. Ricotta Cheese

1/8 t. nutmeg

Wee bit of salt -less than a pinch

1/4 cup grated parm (more if you want a bit more of an alfredo flavor

1 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes

about 1/2 bag of frozen spinach well drained or use fresh spinach -will be a much lovelier emerald green

1/4 to 1/2 c. olives

1 can artichoke hearts quartered (and possibly cut them a wee bit smaller, if they seem larg-ish

*Mozzarella or Italian Five Cheese blend (I prefer the blend, but plain Mozz is cheaper* --optional.

*A few other good additions would be Shrimp or cannelini beans or possibly a white wine in place of the starchy pasta water

Heat your olive oil and butter over medium heat. (in the meantime get your pasta going). Saute pancetta until flavors and scent is released into the oil (I like to get it just a little bit crisp). Add onions and sautee until softened and fragrant. Add garlic, sautee approximately a minute. Sprinkle flour over top and allow it to cook a bit and pick up the lovely flavors -my onions unintentionally carmelized in the process and that just added to the lovely flavors and aroma. Add your pasta water and stir. Allow to come to bubble, reduce heat and allow to thicken. Stir in cream until mixed and thena add ricotta and grate parmesan directly into pot. Stir and heat through.

When sauce is heated, stir in vegetables. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Toss pasta.

You can serve it just like this with some freshly grated parm over the top. Or you can pour it all into a 9 X 13 inch casserole, sprinkle it with the five cheese blend and bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned in spots. Or you can do both -sort of. This makes a very large amount of food (we're a hearty appetited (lol -is that even a word?) family of six (though the babies are only 15 months) and it gives us plenty for two full meals. So you can serve it on prep night as is and then throw what's left in a casserole, top with the cheese, lay wax paper over the top and heat it another night as leftovers -and they'll never know the difference.

buon appetito! :D

Cruisin' the Caribbean

I made this a few weeks ago, and we really liked the dressing. In fact, I will probably make the dressing again, whether or not I make the rest of the salad. This is very lightly adapted from a recipe I found at allrecipes.com. I think the original recipe called for serving this with tortilla chips broken up and added to the salad for crunchy bits; I am not wild about this aspect of a salad and omitted them accordingly.

Caribbean Chicken Salad

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves
½ cup Teriyaki sauce
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ cup chopped onion
2 tsp. minced japapeño pepper
2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro (I loathe cilantro and use parsley instead)
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup honey
1 ½ Tbs. White vinegar
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 ½ Tbs. cider vinegar
1 ½ tsp. lime juice
Salad greens
Pineapple chunks, fresh or canned

1. Place the chicken in a bowl, and cover with the Teriyaki sauce. Marinate at least 2 hrs.
2. In a small bowl, mix the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño pepper, and cilantro (or parsley). Cover and refrigerate.
3. In a small bowl, mix the mustard, honey, sugar, oil, vinegar and lime juice. Cover and refrigerate.
4. Grill chicken on high, ‘til juices run clear – 5-10 mins. per side, depending upon the size of the chicken breasts. Cut chicken into strips.
5. Arrange salad greens on plates. Spoon some of the salsa over each salad and sprinkle with pineapple chunks. Lay some of the grilled chicken strips on each salad. Drizzle dressing over each salad and serve.

Rebecca's Caribbean Chicken

This recipe comes courtesy of our friend Rebecca. I am submitting it as she gave it to me; the only change I make is that I usually use fresh pineapple in lieu of canned, and crush some up to create the juice.

Caribbean Chicken

3 large chicken breasts, cut in large chucks
Salt
Pepper
8 oz. can pineapple chunks
Pam
1 tsp. garlic
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. coconut extract
Pinch red pepper
¼ cup packed brown sugar

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Drain the pineapple juice over this and marinade in the fridge while preparing the remaining ingredients.
2. Brown the pineapple chunks in a skillet with Pam. Remove to a side plate.
3. Mix garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, coconut extract and red pepper together.
4. Lightly brown the chicken in the pineapple juice. If you cook it all the way, it will be too dry in the end. Add the soy sauce mix and sprinkle with sugar. Turn the heat to medium or med-low, and reduce until the liquid mixture is thick and gooey. This will cook the chicken the rest of the way.
5. Serve with rice. Zatarain’s Caribbean Rice is a terrific companion.

Faux Phillys

I was craving Philly Cheesesteaks but too lazy and too broke to run out to the grocery. We did have plenty of onions and mozzarella cheese, but we did not have steak rolls or the thinly sliced steak. I put my thinking cap on, looked around the kitchen and decided to be creative for a quick and easy supper.

I had tons of red potatoes -ya gotta love a potato that needs no peeling. ;D I had some flour tortillas and a 2 lb package of ground beef. I decided we were having Faux Phillys. Not the healthiest dinner and nothing fancy, but a good cheap and easy meal. The kids loved it and even my hubby who's not fond of ground beef enjoyed it. :D

Faux Phillys

Ingredients:

Ground beef or ground chuck

Onions sliced thinly in rings (small amount of olive oil for sauteeing)

Diced Green Peppers (if you're a green pepper eater -I'm definitely not)

Mozzarella Cheese -shredded

Flour Tortillas

I like to Sautee my onions separately so I don't lose onions when I drain the beef AND so my onions don't absorb too much of that saturated fat. While the onions (and peppers if you like) are cooking, crumble your beef into a pan and brown -you can go ahead and salt and pepper if you like, I'm not big on salting foods. When onions and beef are cooked to your liking, turn off heat and begin assembling your Faux Phillys.

Preheat over to 350. First mix together your onions and beef (and peppers if so inclined). Next sprinkle a very small amount of mozz. on your tortilla, just slightly left of center -leaving at least a half to an inch of space from all edges. Over the cheese place a couple of tablespoons of beef/onion mixture. Sprinkle a little more cheese. Now you will fold it. Beginning by folding up a lip from the bottom. This lip will prevent your ooey-gooey good stuff from slipping out into your lap or down the front of your new shirt (yeah, it always seems to happen to me when I'm wearing something new). Next fold the left flap over the meaty-oniony-cheesy goodness and roll up. Lay seam side down on a foil covered cookie sheet. Make as many as you like and then cover sheet with foil. Place in preheated oven for ten to fifteen minutes -just long enough to melt the cheese nicely and put a crisp edge on the tortilla.

Oven-Roasted Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

Diced Red Potatoes (depending on the size I use around 8 to 10 -but we love 'em leftover too)

Diced Onion (one large)

Chili Powder (to your taste and I use about a Tbsp (we REALLY like chili powder -one that contains salt)

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

A few Tbsp Olive Oil

Preheat over to 425

Pour potatoes into a large ziplock bag or a large stainless steel bowl (depending on how much you feel like cleaning up afterward). Add onions and seasonings. Drizzle Olive Oil over the top. Either zip the bag and shake or stir thoroughly. Dump into either a disposable baking pan or a a baking dish. Cook 45 minutes to one hour. At one hour mine are slightly crispy, which is what I prefer, but some like them softer.

Okay, now after all those onions, just don't breathe too heavily on anyone. LOL Enjoy. Cheap and easy movie night dinner with minimal clean up.