Get Out The Cookbook

Last week, I opened a bottle of red, excited about drinking a glass with dinner… but the wine was terrible. I’m no wine snob, but I couldn’t even finish the glass. So I popped the cork back in and wondered what on earth I was going to do with the rest of that wine. Clearly, this called for a cooking experiment!

I started scrounging through the freezer and found a good looking beef roast. Using up ingredients I already had at home, I made Sunday dinner in the crockpot and managed to use up some of the less-than-palatable wine in the process.

Roast with veggies, homemade creamed corn, some redneck garlic bread (yes, those are sandwich rolls), and Olympic Track & Field made for a great night!  Husband thought the wine flavor was a touch too strong.  I don’t agree, but if you want the wine flavor to be very subtle, I would substitute 1/2 cup of the wine with water.

Slow Cooker Burgundy Pot Roast

Ingredients 
Large beef pot roast (I started from frozen)
1 cup red wine
2 cups water
1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion Soup mix
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups baby carrots
1 onion, cut into wedges

Preparation Instructions
Spray crockpot with cooking spray.  Place roast in the middle of the pot, then add carrots and onions around the sides.  Pour in wine and water, then add soup mix and spices to the liquid and gently stir a bit to mix in.  Cook on low for 10 hours or until meat is tender and falls apart with fork.

It was the perfect confluence of events, really. While scrolling through Pinterest, I saw a chicken noodle soup recipe that looked really good. Then I got to thinking about the huge bowl of fresh produce on my kitchen counter that needed to be cooked.

You don’t have an overflowing amount of homegrown veggies on your counter? Well then obviously you don’t know Mr. Winston, our buddy and resident neighborhood gentleman farmer and tractor driver. Big Boy and Little Boy are enamored, naturally.

This is a great recipe for using an assortment of veggies. It would also be good for those who have run out of ideas with a CSA box. It’s rare that I make up a recipe on the fly, but this one turned out great so I’m delighted to share. Use whatever you have and see how it goes! I even threw in some leftover canned corn from the boys’ dinner.

When Husband came home and saw me at the stove, he exclaimed, “Oh great, soup! Perfect for this chilly summer day!” Oops.

Summer Garden Soup

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 quart chicken broth
1.5 quarts water
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup diced carrots
3 stalks celery, diced
8 mini new potatoes, diced
2 yellow squash, diced
1/3 cup yellow corn
1 package Reames Frozen Egg Noodles
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp garlic salt
Black pepper to taste
1/3 cup milk

Easiest recipe ever?  Probably.

Many thanks to Grandma and Aunt Marcie for teaching me how to make this extraordinarily simple treat.  Lots of extended family gathered at Grandma and Pap Pap’s house during our recent trip to West Virginia to see us and the boys — and to enjoy a smorgasbord of delicious snacks and dips.  I’ve never been a big fan of fruit dips, but I tried this one and couldn’t keep myself away from seconds… and thirds…

I made it this past weekend for a dinner party and we ate every last bite.  Looks like I’ve got a new regular for the rotation!

Substitutions: To save a few calories, I used the Kroger Greek Cream Cheese made with greek yogurt.

Creamy Fruit Dip

Ingredients
1 (7 oz.) container marshmallow fluff
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
Maraschino cherry juice
Chopped fruit for dipping (I love strawberries, red grapes, pineapple)

Preparation Instructions
Stir together marshmallow fluff and cream cheese until smooth.  Add cherry juice a splash at a time, stirring until desired flavor and pink color is reached.  Chill before serving.

Some recipes are so simple and so yummy, you almost want to kick yourself for forgetting about them for long stretches of time.  King Ranch Chicken is one of those recipes for me.

You get the comfort food aspect of casserole, the fun of lasagna-style assembly, and the deliciousness of things covered in cheese.  What more is there to love?  This week I was scheduled to bring meals to a couple of families, so I turned my kitchen into a chicken factory and got to work boiling, chopping, layering, and baking!  Tripling this recipe was quite easy – just make sure to use a very large pan when sautéing the veggies so you don’t run out of room for the sauce.

The casserole is rumored to have originated from the famous King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas. My paternal grandmother was an alumna of the teacher’s college now known as Texas A&M Kingsville, so naturally, this was one of her regular dinner staples! Southern Living calls this a church covered dish classic, and when I suggested I would bring it for my Yankee friend, she said she obviously didn’t have enough church suppers in her life. I think it’s just a shortage of Texan grandmothers!

Layers in progress…

Substitutions: I used butter instead of margarine.  For the chicken, I boiled boneless skinless chicken breasts for about 20 minutes, then cut them into large bite-size pieces once they cooled.  I also used kitchen scissors to cut the tortillas into pieces.

You can kick up the heat with Ro*Tel Hot or hot sauce, if you like things spicy!

This recipe adapted from the one found on the Ro*Tel website.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 can (10-3/4 oz each) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (10-3/4 oz each) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
12 corn tortillas (6 inch), torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray 13×9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.  Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat, then add bell pepper and onion; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in both soups, undrained tomatoes and chicken.

In your dish, layer one-third each of tortillas, chicken mixture and cheese. Repeat layers twice more. Bake uncovered 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

My mom likes to get me the annual Southern Living Christmas cookbook each year.  As a huge fan and subscriber of Southern Living, I’m always delighted to check out the latest recipes.

This season I needed a sweet treat to take to work for our Christmas potluck lunch.  When I found these brownies, I knew they would be a hit – and I was right.  Not a single crumb leftover!  Glad I snagged one for myself when they were warm out of the oven…

Substitutions: none.  I grabbed one of Husband’s whiskeys and went to town!  The instructions for lining the pan with foil were clutch.  These came out so pretty for serving, though my mixture looked to have more of the cream cheese portion than the picture suggested.  Not complaining, as they were completely delicious.

 

Find the original recipe here.

Bourbon Cream Cheese Brownies

Ingredients
4 (1-oz.) unsweetened chocolate baking squares

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cuplight brown sugar

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoonsflour

1/4 cup bourbon

Preparation Instructions

 

Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides, and lightly grease the foil.

 

For the brownie portion: Microwave chocolate squares and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl until melted, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk in brown sugar and 1 1/2 cups of the granulated sugar. Add 3 eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition. Whisk in vanilla, salt, and 1 cup flour. Spread half of batter in prepared pan.

For the cream cheese portion: Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; add 2 Tbsp. flour and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and beat until blended. Add bourbon and remaining 1 egg, beating until blended.

Pour cream cheese mixture over brownie batter in pan; top with remaining brownie batter, and swirl together.  Bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Grab the foil edge and lift the brownies from pan. Gently remove foil and cut into squares for serving.

As usual, I’m drawn back to the Pioneer Woman when I need a tasty, no-fail recipe.  Having made this twice in the last month, I can confidently say that this is a true keeper!

My father is insistent that proper chili does not have beans.  It’s the Texas way, after all.  As for me, while my lineage is 100% Texan, my birthright is 100% Tennessean – so bring on the beans.

Substitutions: I added a diced onion during cooking, instead of as a garnish, since I love cooked onion flavor but don’t care for raw onions. PW also calls for serving this with tortilla chips, but I can’t resist Fritos with chili.

You can find Ree’s original recipe here.

Simple Perfect Chili

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
2 cloves garlic, crushed
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup masa harina (corn flour)
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
For serving: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, Fritos or other crackers

Preparation Instructions
Place the ground beef in a large pot and add the garlic and onion. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain off the excess fat, and then stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add 1/2 cup water at a time as needed.

After an hour, place the masa harina in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork. Add the masa mixture into the chili, stir well, and then taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or to add more corn flavor. Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve in a large bowl topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and Fritos for a perfect dinner!

Don’t you just love the Lettuce Wraps at P.F. Chang’s?  Memories of good times with my oldest buddies…

I haven’t eaten there in quite some time, but while I was grocery shopping I happened upon a sale package of pre-washed lettuce leaves and immediately thought of P.F. Chang’s.  It was green leaf lettuce, not iceberg, but dinner that night still turned out every bit as delicious as the restaurant dish.

Since I have been counting calories (thanks, MyFitnessPal), I need to mention how filling and yummy this dish was for a small number of calories. Simply use the Recipes tool to input the recipe into the calorie counter.

Substitutions: Green leaf lettuce, as I mentioned. Chopped a zucchini instead of mushrooms on a whim. Yum! Having both would be even better. I served the wraps with fresh egg rolls.

Recipe modified from the version on Food.com.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients
Lettuce Wraps:
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water chestnut
2/3 cup mushroom
3 Tbsp chopped onions
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Iceberg lettuce leaves, washed and dried

Special Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp hot mustard
1 tsp Sriracha sauce

Preparation Instructions
Make the Special Sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and whisk together until blended.  Place in refrigerator and chill before serving.

Bring 2 Tbsp oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan. Saute chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes per side or until done. Remove chicken from the pan and let cool.

While chicken is cooling, dice onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl. Once chicken has cooled, dice it into similar size pieces as the water chestnuts and mushrooms. Return the pan to high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil, then add the chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms to pan. Add stir fry sauce to pan and saute until hot. Serve wrap-style in lettuce leaves.