Category: Meats

Beef · Meats · Starches · Super Bowl Recipes

Beans & Brisket

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

A friend of min today told me that her family had fallen in love with this recipe. Wanted to post it again, as there were several ladies that were there that said to send the recipe to them and since I didn’t know for sure they knew how to search for it..here it is. Great easy meal for company. We are having it Tues night!

A good idea is to soak the beans overnight. Just put the beans in a pan or large bowl and cover them with water and allow to sit overnight. This softens them and allows them to cook a little faster.

Chocolate Castles's avatarChocolate Castles

3 to 6 pound brisket or large roast, trimmed

1 can rotel tomatoes

1 qt plus 2 cups water

1 pound pinto beans

1 large onion, sliced

1 large tomato sauce (16 oz)

Wash beans and drain. Put in bottom of large roaster. Season the brisket or roast to your liking and lay on top of beans. Then onion, rotel and tomato sauce. Pour inthe water. Cover and cook at 250 degrees for 12 hours.

View original post

Chicken · Meats

Chicken and Artichoke Penne

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Looking for some new summer recipes, this one jumped off the page from my new Southern Living that arrived a couple of days ago.

1 1/4 teas kosher salt, divided

1/2 lb penne pasta

1 lb chicken breast tenders

1 1/4 teas black pepper, divided

3 tables olive oil

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 (9 oz) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

1 ( 6 oz) package fresh baby spinach

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 4 qt water to a boil in a stockpot over high heat. Add 1 teas salt; return to a boil. Add pasta; boil, stirring occasionally 11 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Sprinkle chicken with 1 teas each salt and pepper. Cook chicken in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 to 5 min on each side until golden on each side. Remove chicken from skillet. Add tomatoes to skillet; cook, stirring often 4 minutes. Stir in artichokes, 1/4 teas salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup pasta water. Reduce heat to medium and cook stirring often 3 minutes or until tomatoes burst.

Stir pasta, spinach and 1/4 cup cheese into tomato mixture; toss with pasta mixture. Top with remaining cheese.

1 1/4

Beef · Casseroles · Daily Thoughts · Meats

Cannelloni-Style Lasagna

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

The sun has been shining for a few days and it was such a nice change from the gloominess that we have been experiencing. But, tonight the drops are coming back and that means just one thing…I am in the kitchen baking and eating. Why is it, that the cold, rainy weather makes me want to just bake? I guess that if I lived where it was sunny all the time, I wouldn’t be fat, it is not my fault, it is the weather. When it is sunny, salads sound so good, but cold weather makes me want cobblers, pot roast, chocolate chip cookies and hot bread with butter. If spring doesn’t get here pretty soon, I will be up a dress size. So, back to the recipe, this lasagna sounds just perfect for serving when it is raining. It is out of Taste of Home and combines two kinds of sauce.

Cannelloni Style Lasagna

1 tables olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped carrot

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 lb ground beef (or turkey)

3/4 lb ground pork

1/3 cup white wine or beef stock

2/3 cup beef stock (it will be 1 cup total if you use the stock instead of the wine)

1 bay leaf

3/4 teas Italian seasoning

1/2 teas coarsely ground pepper

1/4 teas salt

2 jars (15 oz ea) Alfredo sauce, divided

2 egg yolks

1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce

1 pack (9 oz) no cook-lasagna noodles

In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrot; cook and stir 4-6 min or until tender. Add minced garlic; cook 1 min.

Add the beef (or turkey) and pork; cook until meat is no longer pink, breaking into crumbles; drain. Stir in white wine. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is almost evaporated, about 1 min.

Stir in stock and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered about 15 min to allow flavors to blend. Cool slightly. Remove bay leaf; stir in 1 cup Alfredo sauce and the egg yolks.

Preheat oven to 350. To assemble, spread 3/4 cup marinara sauce into a greased 9×13″ baking dish. Layer with flour noodles, 3/4 cup Alfredo sauce and 2 cups meat mixture. Top with four more noodles and 3/4 cup marinara sauce. Layer with flour noodles, 3/4 cup Alfredo sauce and remaining meat mixture. Top with remaining noodles and marinara sauce. Drizzle remaining Alfredo sauce over top.

Bake, covered, 30-40 minutes. Uncover and bake 20-25 more minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 15 min before serving.

Casseroles · Chicken · Daily Thoughts · Meats · Starches

Chicken Florentine Manicotti Alfredo

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Received my new Southern Lady magazine. I have wiped off the drool from the front cover as it displayed a gorgeous pecan-date pie which is just divine and went quickly pass the desserts in search of a new dinner recipe. This one sounded like it was meant for today, since we woke up to 27 degrees and need something that will “stick to our bones”. Of course during the last 2 months we have found lots of recipes that have “stuck to our bones”. That is why we are shopping this week for new clothes…a size larger. Of course we always say that we are just going mall walking, but in reality, all we do is walk into the stores and see what is on sale. But it sounds great when friends call and ask what we have been up to. “oh just got back from our walking the mall.”

Makes 6-8 servings *This recipe also freezes very well

4 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach

2 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup firmly chopped green onion

1 teas garlic powder

1 (8 oz) package manicotti, cooked according to package directions

1/4 cup butter

2 tables flour

1/2 teas salt

2 cups whole milk

1/4 teas ground white pepper (I am cheating and using black, do not want to go back to grocery store)

1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 tables Italian seasoning

1/2 teas ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, spinach, cream cheese, green onion, and garlic powder.

Beat at medium speed until well combined with hand mixer. Spoon chicken mixture into manicotti and place in prepared pan; set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until melted. Add flour, salt and white pepper; cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Gradually add milk, continuing to whisk. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 4 min, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened.

Remove from heat and add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Spoon sauce over manicotti and sprinkle evenly with Italian seasoning and pepper.

Bake for 35 to 40 min or until bubbly and heated through.

*To make ahead and freeze you can completely make the casserole and just cover and freeze without baking. When ready to serve, thaw completely and bake in preheated 350 degree oven, uncovered for about 40 minutes or until bubbly hot.

Casseroles · Chicken · Meats · Starches

Enchiladas to Die For (well, maybe not die, but they are worth the calories)

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

For the past 3 days,  I have been making casseroles that I sell each year. The two best sellers are Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas and Chicken Spaghetti. Having just finished about 30 of them, I had some of the sauce left over from the Chicken Spaghetti. Not enough for me to make a complete casserole but enough to not throw out. I began to think to myself that maybe if I added a can of green chile sauce to the mushroom spaghetti sauce I could whip up another pan of enchiladas. So I did and the results are so good that the next green chile enchiladas will be made with this sauce instead of what I usually use. OH MY GOSH!!!! Seriously good. Since I didn’t count on them being this good, I didn’t count out exact measurements but these measurements will get you the same results…had a few left over to keep for our dinner tonight (which will be in addition to the 2 I scarfed down “testing them” to see if they were good. So here is what I did.

8 corn tortillas

1 cup chopped chicken breast

1 small can of diced green chiles

1 cup of mild green chile enchilada sauce

1 regular size can of cream of mushroom soup

1 small can Rotel Tomatoes with Chiles (mild)

1/2 cup of chopped onions, 1/2 cup of green bell pepper

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

About 1/2 to 1 cup of chicken broth

1 cup diced onion (in addition to the above 1/2 cup)

Garlic to taste

Seasoned Salt and Pepper to taste

Oil

First, in a large skillet, heat about 2 tables oil until hot. Add the chopped onions and bell peppers and cook until tender. Add the chopped chicken, 1/2 can of the diced green chiles, seasoned salt, pepper and garlic. Stir while cooking over medium heat for about 5 min.  Take up and place in a bowl and set aside.

Using the same skillet, heat another 1 tables of oil and add the 1 cup of diced onion, stirring until onion is clear. Add the mushroom soup, the can of Rotel Tomatoes and Chiles,  the rest of the diced green chiles,  can of mild green chile enchilada sauce and slowly add the chicken broth just enough to make it the consistency you like for pouring over the enchiladas. Season with more garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, adding chicken broth as needed to keep a nice thick pouring consistency. Set aside. Hang in there, we are almost done.

*If you like a more spicy flavor, get the hotter Rotel chile-tomatoes and the spicier enchilada sauce.

In another skillet, heat about 2 tables oil until sizzling. take the corn tortillas and fry them on each side in the hot oil for about 2 -3 seconds per side. Place on paper towel to soak up some of the oil. If you skip this step, the enchiladas will be soggy and tough.

Now, grease a baking dish that will hold 8 rolled enchiladas. Place about 1 full Tables of the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.  Take one of the corn tortillas and place about a teaspoon full of the chicken-green chile mixture and place it in the middle of the tortilla. Sprinkle about 1 teas of shredded cheddar over the chicken mixture. Roll up the tortilla and place in the baking dish. Repeat until all 8 tortillas have been filled and placed in the dish. Sprinkle the top of the enchiladas with more cheese. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 20-25 min.

I did NOT say that these are good for you, I just said they were great tasting. Tomorrow you can go back to your health shake and salads.

 

 

Breakfast · Holiday Fare · Meats

Italian Sausage & Egg Casserole With Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

While staying with some dear friends in California, Randy and I woke up one morning to the smell of this great dish baking in the oven. Bonnie had  found this in a paper and decided to use us as guinea pigs before making it for her MOPS gals.  I think maybe people use us to try out new recipes because they know we are like Mikey in the old advertisements that would eat anything. But we are glad she did. It is different from the normal sausage-egg casserole since you have the Italian sausage and Mozzarella. It was great and we will be making it for the holidays.

1 lb Italian sweet sausage, casings removed

1/2 cup shallots

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped drained oil packed sun dried tomatoes

4 tables chopped fresh parsley

5 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 cup of half & half

1 cup whipping cream

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 teas salt and 1/2 teas pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9×13 glass dish. Saute sausage over medium heat in a skillet. Cook until sausage is no longer pink and cooked through. Break up into small pieces as it cooks.

Add shallots, garlic and sauté 3 minutes. Add the sundried tomatoes and  2 T parsley, stir 2 minutes. Spread sausage mixture in prepared dish.

*This can be done 1 day ahead.

Cover and refrigerated.

Whisk eggs, egg yolks, 1/2 & 1/2 and whipping cream. Add cheese and seasonings in large bowl; blend well. Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese and 2 T parsley over top. Bake until top of casserole is golden brown and tests done. About 30-35 minutes. Let stand for 5 min before cutting into squares to serve.

 

Breads · Casseroles · Meats

Cowboy Cornbread

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Last night we were invited to a friend’s home for dinner. She had told me she was cooking (oh my I almost said, “fixin”) a big pot of pinto beans for dinner and there would be six of us. I promptly told her that I would bring the cornbread. Visions of this great bread from years ago began to invade my memory. Why had I not made this great cornbread that is almost a meal by itself? Actually, put a salad with it and it is a meal.

So last night I proudly walked in with my old iron skillet, filled with my cowboy cornbread. We had a fabulous meal of beans, salad, cornbread and ended the great dinner with a homemade peach cobbler that Connie brought. The entire evening was mixed with laughter, sweet fellowship and great food. The gift of friendships sharing a meal is one of life’s greatest blessings!

2 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread

1 can cream style corn

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup milk

3 eggs

1 small can of chopped green chiles

1 lb of hamburger beat (yes, all you healthies  out there, you can use Mexican flavored ground turkey)

1/2 cup of frozen seasoning veggies (it is Stillwells brand of mixed chopped onions, bell pepper and celery) or fresh chopped.

4 tables butter

1 teas garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fry the meat with the frozen seasoning veggies, garlic, salt and pepper until meat is done and veggies are tender. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven now to 400.

Combine cornbread mix, eggs, corn, green chiles, cheese and milk. Stir until well combined. In a large skillet (iron if you have one), add about 1 tables oil and heat on burner until oil is hot. Turn off the burner.  Place half of the cornbread mixture into the hot skillet and then sprinkle your meat mixture over it. Spoon the rest of the cornbread mixture over the meat. Place in preheated 400 oven for about 35 minutes or until it tests done and is lightly browned on top. As soon as you take out of the oven,  spread butter over the top, allowing it to melt and cover the entire bread. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then cut into wedges and serve.

Casseroles · Chicken · Meats

Chicken Breasts Lombardy

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

A friend of mine brought me 2 sacks of cookbooks that she was getting rid of, knowing how I love to look through them, she immediately called me to see if I wanted them…one of those was Five Star Recipes from Southern Living which has a picture with each recipe. This one caught by eye and cannot wait to get back in town to make it.

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

2 tables butter, melted

6 skinned and boned chicken breast halves

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup butter, melted and divided

3/4 cup Marsala or any white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 teas salt

1/2 teas pepper

1/2 cup ( 2 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup chopped green onions

Cook mushrooms in 2 tables butter in a large skillet, stirring constantly, just until tender. Remove from heat; set aside.

Cut each chicken breast half in half lengthwise. Place each piece of chicken between two sheets of wax paper.; flatten to 1/8″ thickness, using a mat mallet or rolling pin. I prefer to cut each piece into smaller pieces.

Dredge chicken pieces in flour. Place 5-6 pieces of chicken in 1 to 2 tables butter in a large skillet; cook over medium heat 3-4 min on each side or until golden. Place chicken in a lightly greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish or other large casserole dish. repeat procedure with remaining chicken and butter. Reserve pan drippings in skillet. Sprinkle reserved mushrooms over chicken.

Add wine and broth to skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 min, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt and pepper. pour sauce over chicken. Combine cheese and green onions; sprinkle over chicken.

Bake uncovered at 450 for 12-14 min. Broil 6″ from heat (if you have electric oven, allow door to be partially opened), 1-2 min or until browned.

Serves 6-8

Beef · Meats

Skillet Meatloaf

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

We have just returned from visiting my mom in Corpus, where we stay with a couple who well, who make Randy and I feel pretty young. She is 80 and he is 92. We enjoy them so much and they are just so sweet to open up their home to us for as long as we need. Jane is quite the cook, as I have written about her before, and when the conversation turned to recipes, which it always does, she began to tell me about this skillet meatloaf that she use to always make for her 3 boys, because she could hide veggies in it and they would have no idea. It is a great way to have meatloaf without having your oven on during these hot summer days. She never follows an exact recipe and this is as exact as it is going to be until I get to the store and buy the things I need to make it. I will then post some exact measurements, but until then, make your favorite meatloaf recipe with the following exceptions.

1 lb of ground beef
breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs
diced very finely, onion and bell pepper
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded carrot
Shape the meat into balls or 2 small loafs

Jane heats a little Crisco oil, but since I know that there are many younger people out there who believes that Crisco is nothing but heart attacks waiting to happen, may I suggest a little olive oil. Shape the meat mixture into balls or loafs and brown on both sides. Take meat out and set on a plate. Using a little flour, with a fork, whisk the flour in the drippings in the pan and continue to stir until the flour mixture is lightly browned. Add about 1 1/2 cups warm water all the while whisking, so mixture does not lump. Add your meat back in and cover. Simmer over low heat for about 30-35 minutes allowing the meat to thoroughly cook. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.
*If the idea of making gravy scares you, use a packet of brown gravy mix, following directions on the package, but then pouring it into the pan drippings, to allow the flavors to meld together with the meat.
In a heavy skillet, heat your Crisco or olive oil until it starts to sizzle.

Beef · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Meats

Bacon-Cheddar-Ranch Meat Loaf

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

What a great morning. My new Paula Deen magazine just arrived and thumbing through it, I immediately spotted a recipe that I am making for dinner this week. Last night, we had family over for pork roast with mashed potatoes and carrots, gravy, salad and green beans. It was a late invite so when I went to Trader Joes to pick up the roast, I looked through the desserts there and found a frozen box of miniature little pies which we had. They are Trader Jo’s Brand and the box simply says, Mini Pie Medley! Oh my gosh, we all just sat there and wished we had about 6 each. They come in a box of 6 and there are 2 strawberry, 2 peach and 2 blueberry. Bake at 325 for 8 minutes and you have a fantastic little pie which of course, we topped with Blue Bell..so when you are looking for something quick and delicious but do not have energy or time to whip up something, you can serve these little pies with great confidence. 

Back to the meat loaf. I love having individual loaf pans to serve company. If they have any left over, I simply wrap them up and send it home with them. You can buy the paper individual loaf pans now at several places, Michales, Hobby Lobby and Container Store for example.

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin

1 1/2 pounds ground pork

2 cups crushed French-fried onions

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

3/4 cup barbeque sauce, divided

2 large eggs, beaten

1 ( 3 oz) package real bacon pieces

1 (1 oz) package ranch dressing (dry) mix

2 tables Worcestershire sauce

1 teas ground pepper

1/2 teas salt

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tables Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 5 (5×3″) loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray

In a large bowl, stir together both meats, onions, cheese, 1/4 cup barbeque sauce and next 6 ingredients. Spoon mixture into prepared pans, packing down lightly.

Bake for 30 minutes. in a small bowl, stir together the ketchup, mustard and remaining 1/2 cup barbeque sauce and spread over the meat loaves. Bake an addition 10-15 mins or until meat is done in center (about 165 degrees in center). Let stand for 10 min before serving.