Happy Halloween!
October 31, 2009 – 5:30 pm
Italian Beef Turnovers
October 30, 2009 – 5:38 pmThis recipe was inspired by this Taste of Home recipe for Trick or Treat Turnovers. Shaun isn’t a fan of mustard or cheese, so I took these a different route and did a sort of Italian-flavored filling. We thought the biscuits didn’t quite match with the filling, which was quite good. Next time I’ll use pizza dough or breadstick dough. I’m sure these would be a hit with kids. They brought out the kids in us this Halloween eve 🙂 Other times of the year, the top dough can simply be left whole.
Italian Beef Turnovers
Makes 8 turnovers
Non-stick spray
1 lb ground beef (I used 85% lean)
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 small can (8 oz) tomato sauce
2 tubes (16.3 oz each) large refrigerated flaky biscuits
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
As the oven heats, spray a large skillet with non-stick spray and brown the beef with the spices and herbs. When the beef is browned, add the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Turn the heat off and let the mixture cool slightly.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Open one can of biscuits and gently stretch each one into a 4 inch round. Place evenly on the baking sheet. Spoon 4 tbsp into the middle of each round, making a flat disk of filling, leaving a small edge around the outside.
Open the other can of biscuits and gently stretch each of them into a 4 inch round. Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut out eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Place each top on a round and press to seal. Use the scraps to make a tooth and stem for each round.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Halloween for Emma
October 30, 2009 – 8:12 amEmma’s enjoying the cooler weather, but not so much the rain, nor the goofiness of the humans around Halloween. We picked up a banana costume for her this year, and a new felt braided poofy ball to make up for it. She quickly dismantled the ball into a bunch of strands, but she seems to enjoy the strands even more. It might even make up for the banana 😀
A Nice Steak Dinner
October 19, 2009 – 7:26 pmMy mom is in town for just the evening, so we had a nice steak dinner as we watched the Broncos game. It was really nice to catch up with her 🙂
Emma Playing Fort
October 18, 2009 – 5:09 pmWe started keeping a sheet over our couch in a futile attempt to control the corgi hair. This rarely works, as Emma has decided that she likes snuggling under the sheet. Here are a few pictures of her (and me) under the sheet.
Pollo al Rhum
October 18, 2009 – 11:11 amI got this recipe from the Tasty Kitchen website. It was the featured recipe a few days ago and I marked it to try. I slightly reduced the butter and used freshly grated nutmeg. This was a very juicy and flavorful chicken, and I’ll definitely make it again. We had this with some boiled potatoes. I think some pasta or rice would also work well, and the sauce would go very well with any of those.
Pollo al Rhum
Serves 4
4 whole chicken thighs, about 1½ lbs
kosher salt
black pepper
nutmeg
4 large fresh sage leaves
3 tbsp butter
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
½ cup light rum
Season the chicken with generously with salt, pepper, and lightly with nutmeg on all sides.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter. When it just starts to foam, add chicken, skin side down, and the sage leaves. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until nicely browned, then turn over and brown the other side. Add the chicken broth and cook for 5 minutes, turning the chicken over halfway through. Turn the chicken back skin side up, reduce the heat to medium low, and add the rum. Cover the skillet and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Emma’s Kitty Impressions
October 15, 2009 – 6:34 pmEmma loves to get up on the back and arms of our couch. She walks along or just perches. We tell her that she’s not a kitty cat, but I don’t think she listens 😛
Spaghetti with Italian Sausage Red Sauce
October 13, 2009 – 7:46 pmThis was a quick and easy meal. I got some great locally made chicken Italian sausage (made by Isernio’s Sausage). It’s very lean and quite tasty. If you use regular Italian sausage, you might want to drain the skillet before starting to make the sauce.
Spaghetti with Italian Sausage Red Sauce
Serves 4
1 lb spaghetti
4 links Italian sausage (about 12-14 oz)
1 tsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
2 cans diced tomatoes, 15 oz each
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
Boil the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water. As the pasta cooks, prepare the sausage and sauce.
Place the sausage in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and cover the skillet. Steam the sausage for 5 minutes or until plumped. Remove the cover and add 1 tsp of olive oil. Let the water boil off and brown the sausage on all sides. Remove the sausage to a plate and add the garlic to the skillet. Cook for 10-20 seconds or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings and stir to combine. Cut the sausage links into quarters and return to the sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain the pasta well. Serve sauce over the pasta.
Firecracker Barbecue Pork
October 12, 2009 – 7:06 pmThis recipe comes from the package of the bone-in center-cut pork loin roast that I picked up at the store today. It can also be found at http://www.TheOtherWhiteMeat.com/. The original recipe called for grilling, but I just baked it in the oven. I upped the quantities of the hot sauce and horseradish, as the mere half tsps allotted didn’t seem like “firecracker” to me.
I served this with some roasted mushrooms and brussels sprouts. Roasting really brings out wonderful flavors in just about any veggie. I just got about 1/2 pound of baby white mushrooms and a 1/2 pound of brussels sprouts, trimmed them, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper, and a bit of garlic powder on the mushrooms, then baked with the pork for the last hour of cooking. This was really quite good, but in the future, I’m just going to do the sauce on a pork tenderloin that cooks in about a quarter of the time.
Firecracker Barbecue Pork
Serves 6
3 lb bone-in pork loin roast
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1 tsp Franks Red Hot
1 tsp grated horseradish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Season pork roast with salt and pepper and place in a shallow baking pan. Stir together the rest of the ingredients. Spoon about 1/3 of the sauce over the roast, reserving the rest. Bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. At 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes into the cooking time, baste with reserved barbecue sauce. Serve hot.
Baked Buffalo Wings
October 11, 2009 – 5:07 pmThis is a simple, easy, and tasty game day snack. My Broncos pulled out a great win, and I actually think they might go places this season now! We like these with a fair bit of a kick. If you like them milder, increase the butter and decrease the hot sauce. For a change, when I can find it, I use Frank’s Red Hot with Lime, or add some lime juice to the sauce.
Baked Buffalo Wings
Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a meal
1½ lbs split chicken wings (about 16 pieces)
½ cup Franks Red Hot
2 tbsp butter
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray and arrange the wings on the pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through, turning the wings over halfway through the cooking time.
Remove the wings from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. As the wings rest, melt the butter and mix with the Franks Red Hot. Toss the wings to coat evenly. Serve warm.
