Drive-Ins, Diners and Dives

I love food networks and cooking shows.  As inspiring as they are, I love most watching whip together food quickly, efficiently and plating it beautifully.  That doesn't happen at our house.  I may whip it together quickly, sometimes efficiently, but the plating is lost in the six of us wolfing it down without stopping to admire the beauty of the dish.  Hence the lack of pictures lately.  Sorry, we're hungry.

Last time Shane and I sat down to watch Triple D (yes, the title post, it's too long to type again) Guy Fieri watched a chef make Pastitsio.  Shane fell in love, but of course the restaurant didn't expose all of it's little secrets or the recipe in total, so we googled it...

This is the closest we could find, from Ina Garten...the restaurant we watched make it used only beef, no lamb.  If I make this I will be using only beef too.

Pastitsio

2009, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved

Ingredients

For the Tomato Meat Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound lean ground lamb
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 large cloves)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Bechamel:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan or Kasseri cheese
• 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup Greek-style yogurt, such as Fage Total
• 3/4 pound small shells

Directions

For the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the beef and lamb, and saute over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it's no longer pink, crumbling it with the back of wooden spoon. Drain off any excess liquid, add the wine, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and cayenne, and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 45 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the bechamel, heat the milk and cream together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Pour the warm milk and cream mixture into the butter and flour mixture, whisking constantly. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and thick. Add the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Stir in 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of the tomato and meat sauce, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the eggs and yogurt and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Don't over-cook because the pasta will later be baked. Drain and set aside.

Add the pasta to the meat and tomato sauce, and pour the mixture into a baking dish. Spread the bechamel evenly to cover the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbly. Set aside for 10 minutes and serve hot.

April Fool's Fail

Last year I went all out for our April Fool's Day dinner.  If you'll remember it involved cupcakes and meatloaf; it was awesome.

This year, between packing Shane and Lincoln up for an overnight camping trip, and babysitting three extra young children, I didn't get it done.  I managed to come up with a lame and complete ineffective food prank...

sugarless Koolaid.

Apparently my husband just thought I was frazzled enough after an afternoon of 7 kids, 6 of which were 6 and under, and I had just forgotten to add the sugar.  Lincoln thought it tasted watered down, but he drank it anyway.  I didn't even try it on the other kids, my prankster high had been blown and it was pointless to go on with it.

I'm getting back in the game next year.  And, I'm refusing to babysit on April Fool's, just in case.

Did any of you do anything fun, exciting and effective for April Fool's?  I mean, I need all the advice/help/ideas that I can get!

Happy St. Patty's Day

We're having our traditional St. Patty's day meal tonight, you know, green eggs and ham.  I love holiday traditions!  I love hitting the grocery store for thick cut smoked ham, eggs, and anything else green that will go with the meal, like asparagus, salad, broccoli, limeade, jello and for dessert we're having no-bake, limey cheesecake.

What are your holiday food traditions?  We're always looking for more!

Creamy, No-Bake Cheesecake

1 graham cracker crust (I make my own with crushed cinnamon grahams)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup lime juice

Cream the cream cheese until fluffy, add milk and mix until smooth.  Add vanilla and lime juice, mix until all incorporated.  Pour into pie shell and refrigerate until set up.

**For St. Patty's day I add a few drops of green food coloring to the filling**

The Night We Ate My Son

Or, at least that's what he thought when we started talking about eating kale in this soup.

When the kids saw the green stuff in the soup it came out that the unknown vegetable was Kale, not Cael, my last born child.  He was sufficiently concerned and didn't touch the green stuff.

However, the rest of us did, and loved it.  This is one of my husband's favorite soups, and because it's one of those recipes that I don't usually have all the ingredients for, we go long periods of time without eating it.  You'll recognize the name if you've ever eaten at The Olive Garden, and if you've ordered their Zuppa Toscana, and liked it, then you now have a copycat recipe.  Though this recipe is not listed on their site, they have a large selection of their recipes online at http://www.olivegarden.com/recipes/.

Zuppa Toscana

1 pound hot or mild Italian sausage
1 bag real bacon bits
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups water
5 cubes chicken bouillon
3 potatoes, chopped to 1/4"-ish
1 pint whipping cream (though I usually substitute half and half)
1 cup kale

Brown sausage in a large skillet.  Add bacon bits, onion and garlic and saute together.  Transfer meat mixture to a large pot, add water, bouillon, and potatoes.  Boil until the potatoes are cooked.  Add whipping cream and let simmer until thoroughly heated.  Add kale and let sit until the kale is soft, about 5 minutes.

Leftovers 101

Once a week we do leftovers night.  It's that night where everything that you've got in your fridge gets cleaned out and dumped.  Otherwise known as clean-out-your-fridge night.  I tell my kids the goal is to clean out as many of the containers as possible, it's like a game to them.

This was our leftover offerings last week.

#1 - Steamed butternut squash served with a little bit of butter, salt and pepper.

#2 - Beef roast, cooked in the crockpot for 4 hours with a packet of dry onion soup mix on the top.

#3 - Brown rice pilaf (recipe below), this was found while cooking a diabetic meal for a friend.

#4 - Mandarin-cranberry pork chops (recipe below), I made this one up to see how it worked.  It turned out to be easy and delicious!

#5 - Potatoes and onions, my kids favorite "fries".  Cut up some potatoes and onions, cook with a little bit of olive oil and salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  Like fries, my kids eat this with ketchup.

#6 - Fresh cut mango.  I have never been good at cutting mangoes, I pretty well massacre them.  Then I asked my babysitter to teach me, because she's the master.  It's really easy, if you follow the directions.  Here is a tutorial, if you're interested.  It's not the way I learned, but it's a workable way as well.

#7 - Fajitas - Sauteed chicken breast, onions, green bell pepper and jalapeños...my kids loved it and it included everything they hate, ie: peppers and onions.  Sometimes it's just how you cook it!

Brown Rice Pilaf

2 cups water
1 cup brown rice
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup frozen vegetables
1/2 tsp. cumin

If you have a rice cooker, throw it all together, and cook.  If you don't have a rice cooker, in a saucepan mix the water, rice, olive oil and salt and bring to a boil.  Mix in the vegetables and cumin.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 45-60 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed.


Mandarin-Cranberry Pork Chops

4 pork chops, or as many as you need to feed your family
1 can, whole berry cranberry sauce
1 large can, mandarin oranges, juice drained
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. curry powder

Preheat oven to 350°.  Brown pork chops in pan, season with a little salt and pepper, then place in baking dish.  In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients and pour over chops in bowl.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour or until your pork chops are cooked through.  Serve over rice.

**This would also work really well in a slow cooker, just adjust cooking times as needed.**

This Weeks Menu

Sometimes the thing I hate most about grocery shopping is sitting down and writing a list. Well, that would be a thing I hated the most if I didn't go shopping with kids anyways.
Here is what we are eating this week for dinner based on deals at my local HEB grocery and coupons that are burning a whole in my binder:

Wednesday:
T-Bone steaks on grill (Marinade recipe)
Asparagus
Potatoes (chop, coat in olive oil and some of an onion soup seasoning pkt. Cover with foil and bake)

Thursday:
Gumbo
French Bread

Friday:
Chicken Fajitas
Beans
Rice

Saturday:
Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp
Rice
Pre-packaged veggie pot stickers

Sunday:
Strogonoff w/ leftover steak (I just made this two weeks ago but loved it so much I'm making it again already!)
Noodles
Fruit
Green Beans or Peas

Monday:
Pineapple Chicken Sandwiches
Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday:
Chili served on baked potatoes
Cornbread
Fruit Salad

Now I know I need to post my recipe for chili and for my Mom's Gumbo!

Picnics After President's Day, Kind Of Like White Pants After Memorial Day

We're lucky, down here in Texas.  Usually we have a short cold season, like a week or so, and then we're back to our regularly scheduled beautiful weather.  This Winter we had a few weeks of extremely cold weather, (don't laugh, it was cold like Antarctica around here), but it's beautiful and warm for a few days.  I'm pulling out all stops and celebrating this President's day with a picnic at the park.  Southern style.

The meal will be complete with:

biscuits

oven baked "fried" chicken

beans

coleslaw

and homemade limeade

Or not.  Maybe we'll just do takeout since there's a fried chicken restaurant on every corner down here.

This Year's Valentine's Cake for Chocoholics Everywhere

Elizabeth's Extreme Chocolate Lover's Cake

Rated: Submitted By: ELIZABETHBH Photo By: KEVINXS Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour Servings: 16

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1/2 cup unsalted butter 2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar 3 eggs 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract 1 cup sour cream 1 cup water

FROSTING: 6 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1 egg yolk 4 cups confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons vanilla extract 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened   GANACHE: 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips 1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 (9 inch) pans. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the top of a double boiler, heat 6 ounces chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.


2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the melted chocolate. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake
comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

4. Make the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting: In the top of a double boiler, heat 6 ounces chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, whip the butter for about 10 minutes until it is super fluffy, beat in egg yolk. Gradually blend in the confectioners' sugar, alternating with 2 tablespoons vanilla and 2 tablespoons cream, then blend in the melted chocolate. Beat in the softened cream cheese.

5. Make the Ganache: In a large saucepan, combine chocolate chips and 1 cup heavy cream. Heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

6. Assemble the cake: When cake is completely cooled, cover the bottom cake layer with as much ganache as desired. Refrigerate for 5 minutes, or until ganache has set. Spread frosting over the ganache. Cover with top layer of cake. Frost top and sides with buttercream, and garnish with more ganache.

Another Enchilada Recipe

I know, I have a problem with settling on my favorite enchilada recipe (like the one I posted HERE). My sis-in-law found these recipes online and filled flour tortilla with the meat, cheese and rice. She put them in a casserole dish with cheese on top and baked until warm and cheese was melted. They were really good! I know that Brooke has posted this same recipe for cilantro-lime rice HERE, I just re-posted for convenience.

Sweet Pork (Cafe Rio knock-off)
2 pounds pork (I used boneless ribs that were on sale)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar. If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.


CAFE RIO'S KNOCK-OFF CILANTRO-LIME RICE
1 c. uncooked rice (long-grain, white rice)
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

Warm and Home-y Comfort Food (for kids)

My kids love macaroni and cheese.  My 3-year old daughter has a special thing going on with mac 'n cheese.  She asks for it a lot.  Like every. single. day...  See when I was in school, the twins got to eat lunch twice a week at Grandma's house.  She, like most Grandma's, spoiled them.  Where I will only make one lunch, she made two different ones.  PB&J for Cael, and mac 'n cheese for Landry.  When I would drop them off Landry would greet Grandma by saying, "Iamhungry,Iwantmac'ncheese..."  They got spoiled.  Really spoiled.  They are now getting used to the fact that Mom doesn't cater to every whim like Grandma and they are settling for either PB&J or mac 'n cheese some days now.

So, when I was perusing recipes the other day, and found this one I decided to try it out.  You see, I am a macaroni and cheese lover too.  I just don't love the fake powdered cheese in unnatural colors like my kids do.  I love a great, baked, creamy mac 'n cheese with real cheese and maybe some additives, like bacon, or chicken.

If you've ever eaten at Z'Tejas, I love their mac 'n cheese.  This recipe is really close.

THE BEST MACARONI AND CHEESE

12 oz. medium cheddar, grated

4 oz. monterey jack, grated (I used only cheddar, with a little horseradish cheddar mixed in)

4 oz. Velveeta, cubed (if you don't like processed cheese use more cheddar, the processed cheese just makes it more smooth)

4 oz. cream cheese

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

salt and pepper

16 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

1/2 cup bread crumbs, plain and dry

2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oven to 350°.  Put cheeses (except Parmesan) in top of double boiler (if you don't have one, set a heat proof bowl over a saucepan with about 1 inch of water in it) and melt over simmering water, stirring frequently.  Gradually add milk, whisking until completely smooth.  Whisk in mustard, bacon, salt and pepper.

Pour the cheese mix into a large bowl, add the macaroni and toss to coat.  Then pour the coated mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. 

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese.  Sprinkle over the top.

Bake until crumbs are browned and the cheese is bubbling, 25-30 minutes.

Note: This recipe would be awesome with a couple of grilled chicken breasts cut up into it.  I'm adding the chicken on the side for our "non-meat eating children" but chicken would be a perfect addition to make this side a complete main dish.

Yes, it's kind of messy to make, it takes a lot of bowls and pans, and it's certainly not the healthiest dish we've posted here, but seriously, it's delicious, and it's a perfect dish for a really cold day (like today).