New Recipe Challenge
Fresh
vegetables are everywhere, especially in the summer. There is a
farmers market less than a mile from our place and they have a wide
variety of beautiful veggies. This recipe can be made with any veggies
that your family likes. Feel free to experiment.
My kids like most of the vegetables that they have tried, but can be
resistant to trying something new. The majority of the veggies I used
are ones that they are familiar with and will eat: onion, carrots,
green beans. I also chose 1 new vegetable that I wanted them to try:
asparagus. Other good veggies that would work well in this dish: snow
peas, summer squash, zucchini, bell peppers. Really anything you can
pick up at a farmer's market.
When it comes to the chiken, you can use boneless or bone-in
chicken. You will just need to bump up the cooking time about 10
minutes if you use bone-in chicken. This recipe is very versatile and
is easy to make.
Recipe
Farmer's Market Chicken
4-6 boneless chicken breasts or 1 whole chicken cut up
2 cups carrots, peeled and cut
1 large onion, sliced
2 cups green beans, cut or whole
2 cups asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 T olive oil, divided
1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
1 T fresh tarragon
1 T fresh thyme
salt
cracked black pepper
- Heat 2 T oil in a large skillet while you season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- Brown chicken on all sides; then, remove the chicken from the pan.
- Add
the rest of the oil along with the onion to the skillet and cook for
3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrent.
- Pour
in wine(stock) and deglaze the pan. Add the carrots (or other longer
cooking veggies) and chicken to the pan, sprinkle with herbs, and simmer
covered for 8-10 minutes (15 minutes for bone-in chicken).
- Add the beans and asparagus (or other quick cooking veggies) and cover for another 5-7 minutes.
- Remove
chicken and veggies and arrange on a platter. Simmer and reduce the
sauce for several minutes and pour over the meat and veggies on the
platter.
- Serve over rice.
Results
Mixed results with the kids. I don't think that either of them
really liked the asparagus, but they ate it. They liked the rest of the
dinner and said that they would eat it again.
The adults really liked dinner and it will definitely find its way back to our dinner table again.
Have a Happy Family Dinner Y'all!
New Recipe Challenge
The kids both like hamburgers, so I thought that salisbury steak
would be an easy transition. I used to make this a lot before we had
kids and knew that Dave and I like it.
This recipe is fairly quick and easy to make and the meat can be
mixed and formed the earlier in the day or even the previous day to
prepare for a quick dinner.
I
served the steaks with mashed potatoes and carrots. It is equally good
served with rice or even noodles. Whatever your family prefers is fine
with these tasty steaks.
Recipe
1 1/2 lbs. ground sirloin
1 cup diced onion
1 T. Montreal steak seasoning
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
3 T. olive oil, divided
8 oz. sliced cremini or button mushrooms
4 T. flour
3 cups beef stock or broth
- mix meat with onion, seasoning, bread crumbs, and egg until everything is incorporated well.
- Divide the meat mixture into 6
equal portions and form into patties. If you made the patties early
cover them with foil and refrigerate until you are ready to cook.
- In an extra large skillet, heat the
oil over medium heat. Add the patties and let them brown about 3-4
minutes on each side and then remove from the skillet.
- Add the remaining oil and the mushrooms and cook the mushrooms until they are cooked and slightly browned.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir and cook the flour for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the stock while stirring to avoid lumps and bring to a simmer until the gravy thickens slightly.
- Return the steaks to the skillet and simmer for about 10 minutes until the meat is fully cooked and the gravy is thickened.
The Results
Dave and I loved this recipe. The steak were very flavorful without
being too heavy. The gravy was thick and wonderful and the mushrooms
were a delicious addition. The mashed potatoes and carrots were perfect
alongside the steaks. Delicious!
The kids ate the steaks, but didn't want they gravy. They both ate
their patty with ketchup. The potatoes and carrots disappeared without
coercion. I think that this will definitely find its way to our table
again.
New Recipe Challenge
Today was Dave and
my 11th wedding anniversary and I wanted to make something special.
Dave really likes steak, so I looked at several different recipes and
combined and changed them and came up with this new meal. Tim and Bekah
will eat steak occasionally, but it's never been their favorite.
The recipe calls
for sirloin, but you can use whatever cut you prefer or have on hand. I
think that this sauce would be really nice over a good ribeye. I think
that they next time I make this I will roast
some carrots along with the potatoes and that will save me from having
to
make a vegetable separately. Roasted carrots are sweet and tender and
will be delicious with the steak and potatoes.
Recipes
Roasted Potatoes
2 lbs. new or fingerling potatoes
2 T olive oil
2 T kosher salt
2 T cracked black pepper
4 T minced garlic (optional)
- cut potatoes into quarters and pile onto a cookie sheet
- pour oil and seasonings over the potatoes and stir to coat
- roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until soft
- you can add a pound of carrots, cut into chunks, to the pan and adjust the oil and seasonings to coat all the veggies.
Honey-Orange Steak
1 1/2 - 2 lbs sirloin steaks
2 T Montreal steak seasoning
1 T olive oil
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 T orange zest
2 T honey
1 t. Italian seasoning
- Sprinkle Montreal seasoning evenly over the steaks while the oil heats in a large skillet.
- Cook steaks for 6-7 minutes on each side, turning only once. Then remove steaks from the skillet and cover them with foil.
- Add the remaining
ingredients to the skillet and use a whisk to scrape all the good stuff
from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce
and pour over the steaks.
Results
The kids ate their
steak and agreed that they would eat it again. I was impressed. They
loved the roasted potatoes and fought over the few left in the bowl.
The adults loved the meal. Happy Anniversary, Honey!!
Have a Happy Family Dinner, Y'all!
Family Favorite
I craved spicy
Mexican food during both of my pregnancies. I believe that is the
reason why both of my children like spicy foods. They would eat chips
and salsa every day for snack if I let them.
One day I was
trying to figure out dinner using what was around the house and this
recipe just happened. In fact, I keep the ingredients for this meal
around the house all the time; so I can throw it together whenever.
Everyone enjoys it and I never hear a complaint out of the kids when they ask, "What's for dinner?"
Recipe
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup of your favorite red salsa or picante sauce
1/2 cup Ranch salad dressing
1 can corn or 1 cup frozen corn
2 T olive oil
rice
shredded cheddar
- Brown the chicken in the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the salsa and corn and simmer over low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in the ranch and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Serve over rice and garnish with shredded cheese.
The Challenge
I love cooking with
my crock-pot, especially in the winter. This recipe only cooks for 4
hours, but it's good when you have a busy afternoon. It's very simple
to throw together and tastes great. If you use frozen potatoes it goes
together even faster. It's a delicious way to use up leftover ham after
Easter.
Since kids, including mine, love cheese; I thought it would be a good recipe to try.
The Recipe
2 lbs. peeled and sliced potatoes or 1 bag of frozen diced hash browns
1 cup diced ham
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
1/2 cup finely diced or grated onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. black pepper
- In the crock-pot bowl, mix together the potatoes, ham, onion and 1 cup of the cheese.
- In a separate bowl mix together the soup, water, and seasonings.
- Pour evenly over the potato mixture and cook on high for 4-5 hours.
- About 15 minutes
before serving. Stir to evenly distribute the cheese sauce and sprinkle
the final 1/2 cup cheese over the top.
The Results
My husband and I
loved it. The sauce is creamy and the potatoes cooked perfectly. I
used red skinned potatoes and left the skins on when I sliced them. It
comes down to personal preference.
Timothy really
liked it, but left a pile of diced onions at the edge of his plate. I
think that next time I will grate them and he won't even notice them.
Rebekah ate it, but
I don't think it was her favorite. It took her a while to clean her
plate, but she said that she would eat it again.
Overall a good result. With a little personal adjustments it should be a winner.
Have a Happy Family Dinner, Y'all!
The Challenge
It took a while for
both of the kids to warm up to pork. Other than bacon and breakfast
sausage that is. A couple of years ago we started making them eat pork
chops along with us for dinner. It took a few meals, but they will both
eat. He needs BBQ sauce for dipping and she prefers ranch dressing,
but they don't fight us on it anymore.
Last summer they had
pork BBQ sandwiches for the first time. Tim loved it because he
already likes BBQ sauce. Bekah took a little longer to warm up to them,
but now she likes it.
Now it's time to try
something new. This recipe is simple, but delicious. The pork is
rubbed with spices and cooked. It is sliced thinly and served on rolls
with cole slaw and spicy mayo.
The Recipe
1 pound pork tenderloin or thick cut boneless chops
2 t. olive oil
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. paprika
1 t. ground black pepper
1 cup mayonaise
1 T. of your favorite hot sauce
6 toasted sandwich rolls
2 cups prepared cole slaw
- rub the pork with the olive oil and spices and let rest
- roast or grill the pork until the internal temperature is about 160 degrees.
- let the meat rest for 5 minutes for chops or 10 minutes for a tenderloin, then slice thinly
- While the meat is resting, mix the mayo and hot sauce in a small bowl.
- Spread rolls with mayo and fill with pork slices and cole slaw.
The Results
Success!! Timothy
ate his sandwich and even asked for another one. Although he preferred
his second sandwich without the slaw.
Bekah ate her
sandwich with little complaint. I'm pretty sure she would eat it
again. She did, however, eat a pile of cole slaw after her sandwich was
gone.
Have a Happy Family Dinner, Y'all!!
Family Favorite
This post will be
about one of our favorite meals. I know when this goes on the table
only empty plates come back. This recipe is one that I grew up with and
remember eating with my family.
Hamburger Pie is a
simple version of shepherd's pie. It's made with ground meat and canned
veggies and soup. Sometimes I make real mashed potatoes, but other
times I use instant. You can change this recipe up however you want.
You can change the ground beef into turkey, pork or chicken. You can
use any combination of cream soup and canned veggies. I have used the
following alternate combinations with good results:
- beef, golden mushroom soup, corn
- turkey, cream of mushroom soup, mixed veggies
- chicken, cream of celery soup, peas and carrots
Use whatever
combinations that sound tasty. If you find another good combination,
leave me a comment. I would love to try it.
My biggest issue
with cornbread is that it is usually dry and crumbly. This recipe is so
moist that you almost won't believe it's cornbread. The kids love it
and always ask if they can have the leftovers for breakfast the next
morning.
The Recipes
Hamburger Pie
1 lb. ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 can cut green beans
3 cups mashed potatoes
- Brown meat and drain.
- Mix in veggies and soup and pour into a 2 quart casserole dish.
- Cover with potatoes.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cornbread
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 box Jiffy yellow cake mix
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup mayonaise
1 can corn (optional)
- Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 8x8 inch pan.
- Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
Another thing that makes
this meal easy to put together is that they bake at the same
temperature for the same amount of time. Can't beat that! I can smell
the cornbread baking as I am writing this post and can't wait until the
timer goes off.
Have a happy family dinner, y'all! :)
