Had a curling bonspiel this weekend and needed to make something for the potluck dinner. This was my selection (from the Gold Seal website), and the bonus: it was pretty cheap :)
The Recipe:
1 can tuna, drained and flaked
2 cups small pasta shells
1 celery rib, cut into 1/4" dice
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" dice
1/2 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1/2" dice
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
2 tsp horseradish
salt and pepper to taste
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until just tender and drain well
2. Cool in cold water and drain well again. Place in a salad bowl
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix gently to combine
4. Refrigerate the salad until ready to serve
My Experience:
I actually cooked the pasta and cut up all my veggies up the night before so that it was a quick mix in the morning. Made my life at 7am much simpler.
I also made the dressing before mixing everything together to make sure that the mayonnaise and horseradish fully mixed. For some extra tang I used extra hot horseradish (it was also all we had at the apartment) and I added maybe half a tsp of sugar to balance out the lemon juice. I don't know why but I thought it tasted better.
Other than that it was quick and easy to put together. The longest part was all the veggie chopping because, well, I'm not very good with a knife lol.
If you are interested, I even have the nutritional values for you this time! (provided by Gold Seal)
Per Serving
Calories 118
Fat 3.1 g
Carbs 15g
Protein 8g
Fibre 1.5g
Sat fat 0.5g
Cholesterol 8mg
Sodium 120mg
Sugar 1.6g
Calcium 14mg
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Mini Tacos
Easy spin on Old El Paso Tacos with less mess while eating.
The Recipe:
Old El Paso Taco seasoning mix
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 bag of Tostitos Scoops
Toppings
Shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce
Salsa
Sour Cream
Whatever you like!
1. Brown ground beef in large skillet; drain
2. Fry onions in a bit of butter on low heat (at same time as beef but in small pan)
3. Stir 1 cup of water and seasoning mix in with beef
4. Simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring often
5. Stir in onions after about 5 minutes
6. Place Tostitos Scoops on a baking sheet covered with foil
7. Spoon some beef mixture into each Scoop
8. Top each with some cheese
9. Broil until cheese is melted
10. Serve with all the toppings as a self serve!
My Experience:
I love tacos! But they make such a mess when you try to eat them (maybe I just don't do it right...). These mini tacos allow for bite size pieces and you can top them how you want: whether it's salsa, sour cream, lettuce, diced tomatoes or whatever else you choose.
Just make sure you use the non-broken scoops so that you can spoon in the meat and cheese. It's MUCH easier! Save the broken ones for later snacking.
The meat is also really good on day 2 because it allows for the seasoning to soak in so don't worry about the left overs. You can even use the left overs with the broken chips to make a taco salad (with the left over lettuce topping) the next day! I've done it and it is yummy :)
The Recipe:
Old El Paso Taco seasoning mix
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 bag of Tostitos Scoops
Toppings
Shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce
Salsa
Sour Cream
Whatever you like!
1. Brown ground beef in large skillet; drain
2. Fry onions in a bit of butter on low heat (at same time as beef but in small pan)
3. Stir 1 cup of water and seasoning mix in with beef
4. Simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring often
5. Stir in onions after about 5 minutes
6. Place Tostitos Scoops on a baking sheet covered with foil
7. Spoon some beef mixture into each Scoop
8. Top each with some cheese
9. Broil until cheese is melted
10. Serve with all the toppings as a self serve!
My Experience:
I love tacos! But they make such a mess when you try to eat them (maybe I just don't do it right...). These mini tacos allow for bite size pieces and you can top them how you want: whether it's salsa, sour cream, lettuce, diced tomatoes or whatever else you choose.
Just make sure you use the non-broken scoops so that you can spoon in the meat and cheese. It's MUCH easier! Save the broken ones for later snacking.
The meat is also really good on day 2 because it allows for the seasoning to soak in so don't worry about the left overs. You can even use the left overs with the broken chips to make a taco salad (with the left over lettuce topping) the next day! I've done it and it is yummy :)
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Philly Cheesesteaks
I love me some Rachael Ray and I saw this recipe on her show last week and I just had to try it! We had some cheap steaks in the freezer that we weren't crazy about so this was a great way to use them up and make them super yummy!
The Recipe:
For the Garlic Butter Bread
2 loaves baguette, halved and split or 4 crusty sub rolls 12 inches each split
6 tablespoons butter
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
For the French Onion Steak Filling
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 large or 3 medium onions, very thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1 large fresh bay leaf
1/4 cup dry sherry or 1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cans beef consommé or 3 cups beef stock
4 flat-iron steaks or 1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak
3 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
ONIONS
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat then add butter.
2. When it foams, add onions and season with salt, pepper, thyme and bay.
3. Cook until caramel in color, about 30 minutes.
4. Add consommé and sherry/wine to onions.
5. Continue to simmer until consommé reduces by about half.
BREAD
6. Toast bread in a 375°F oven to golden.
7. Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat until it foams.
8. Stir in garlic 1-2 minutes then remove from heat and stir in parsley.
9. Brush toasted bread liberally with garlic butter and reserve.
STEAK
10. Heat griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat; drizzle with oil.
11. Season room temperature steaks liberally with kosher salt and pepper.
12. Cook 10 minutes, turning once.
13. Let stand 5 minutes, thinly slice against the grain.
SANDWICH IT UP
14. Pile steak and onions onto toasted bread bottoms arranged on a baking sheet.
15. Top with lots of cheese and melt under broiler.
16. Set tops in place and serve.
My Experience:
So this recipe takes a really long time because the onions take about half an hour to 45 minutes but you only have to stir every once in a while so I just prepared everything else while the onions were cooking.
Instead of Gruyère cheese I used Provolone but you could also use Swiss. Just buy it in a block so that you can grate it.
When making the garlic butter, try grating the garlic. It may waste a bit if you don't want to destroy your finger tips but it works really great to mix in well with the butter.
These sandwiches were really really good and I highly recommend trying it at least once. It might be time consuming and make a good stack of dishes but it is easy to make!
The Recipe:
For the Garlic Butter Bread
2 loaves baguette, halved and split or 4 crusty sub rolls 12 inches each split
6 tablespoons butter
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
For the French Onion Steak Filling
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 large or 3 medium onions, very thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1 large fresh bay leaf
1/4 cup dry sherry or 1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cans beef consommé or 3 cups beef stock
4 flat-iron steaks or 1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak
3 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
ONIONS
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat then add butter.
2. When it foams, add onions and season with salt, pepper, thyme and bay.
3. Cook until caramel in color, about 30 minutes.
4. Add consommé and sherry/wine to onions.
5. Continue to simmer until consommé reduces by about half.
BREAD
6. Toast bread in a 375°F oven to golden.
7. Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat until it foams.
8. Stir in garlic 1-2 minutes then remove from heat and stir in parsley.
9. Brush toasted bread liberally with garlic butter and reserve.
STEAK
10. Heat griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat; drizzle with oil.
11. Season room temperature steaks liberally with kosher salt and pepper.
12. Cook 10 minutes, turning once.
13. Let stand 5 minutes, thinly slice against the grain.
SANDWICH IT UP
14. Pile steak and onions onto toasted bread bottoms arranged on a baking sheet.
15. Top with lots of cheese and melt under broiler.
16. Set tops in place and serve.
My Experience:
So this recipe takes a really long time because the onions take about half an hour to 45 minutes but you only have to stir every once in a while so I just prepared everything else while the onions were cooking.
Instead of Gruyère cheese I used Provolone but you could also use Swiss. Just buy it in a block so that you can grate it.
When making the garlic butter, try grating the garlic. It may waste a bit if you don't want to destroy your finger tips but it works really great to mix in well with the butter.
These sandwiches were really really good and I highly recommend trying it at least once. It might be time consuming and make a good stack of dishes but it is easy to make!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Honey Garlic Pork
Not much of a recipe but it is still my favorite pork dish that my mom used to make me.
The Recipe:
Honey Garlic sauce
Pork
Rice
1. Cut pork into small cubes
2. Brown pork in frying pan on medium-high heat
3. Poor honey garlic sauce into pan
4. As sauce boils, stir often (scrapping the bottom of the pan to avoid sticking)
5. The sauce is caramalized when there is separation ss you scrape across the pan with a spatula
6. The longer you cook it, the thicker the sauce gets (and the bigger mess there is to clean up)
7. Serve pork and sauce over rice
My Experience:
Easy recipe right? I told you so.
I prefer the VH brand for the honey garlic sauce but I doubt that it really matters. I use most of the bottle of sauce so that I have tons for my rice since it tastes so good.
The kind of pork doesn't matter either, mom used to always use pork chops but this time I used pork leg schnitzel because it was on sale.
As I said above, the longer you cook the sauce to caramalize it, the harder it is to clean everything. But it is TOTALLY worth it (although mom didn't always think so). Just have patience and soak the pan after (as I write this I have yet to clean my own pans so I might regret that statement later). The caramalized sauce will still be on the liquidy side while warm but it will start to solidify as it cools. So if people plan on going back for seconds, keep the pan on the burner on min so that it doesn't harden.
The Recipe:
Honey Garlic sauce
Pork
Rice
1. Cut pork into small cubes
2. Brown pork in frying pan on medium-high heat
3. Poor honey garlic sauce into pan
4. As sauce boils, stir often (scrapping the bottom of the pan to avoid sticking)
5. The sauce is caramalized when there is separation ss you scrape across the pan with a spatula
6. The longer you cook it, the thicker the sauce gets (and the bigger mess there is to clean up)
7. Serve pork and sauce over rice
My Experience:
Easy recipe right? I told you so.
I prefer the VH brand for the honey garlic sauce but I doubt that it really matters. I use most of the bottle of sauce so that I have tons for my rice since it tastes so good.
The kind of pork doesn't matter either, mom used to always use pork chops but this time I used pork leg schnitzel because it was on sale.
As I said above, the longer you cook the sauce to caramalize it, the harder it is to clean everything. But it is TOTALLY worth it (although mom didn't always think so). Just have patience and soak the pan after (as I write this I have yet to clean my own pans so I might regret that statement later). The caramalized sauce will still be on the liquidy side while warm but it will start to solidify as it cools. So if people plan on going back for seconds, keep the pan on the burner on min so that it doesn't harden.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Slow-Cooker Beef Stew
Slow-cooker recipes are awesome for exam period. Start it in the morning while still groggy, come home from a 2pm to 5pm exam and it is all ready to eat while you are detoxing from information overload!
The Recipe:
2 lb (1 kg) stewing beef cubes
4 potatoes, peeled and cut in wedges
3 carrots, cut in chunks
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups beef stock
1 can (5 oz/156 mL) tomato paste
1 bay_leaf
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1. Trim and cut beef into 1-inch cubes
2. In 18- to 24-cup (4.5 to 6 L) slow-cooker, mix together beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, beef stock, tomato paste, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce
3. Cover and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours (or on High for 5 to 6 hours) or until beef and vegetables are tender
4. Add peas, salt and pepper
5. Increase heat to High
6. Whisk flour with 2 tbsp water; stir into stew
7. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until thickened
8. Discard bay leaf
My Experience:
So I followed this recipe mostly. I didn't add peas (I don't like peas) but I added 1 turnip cut in wedges.
I'm also not a huge fan of tomatoes so I probably wouldn't have the tomato paste next time. It tastes more like tomatoes than I thought it would.
I didn't try it but the original recipe suggests to serve the stew in bread bowls (hollow out a crusty bun, leaving 1/2-inch thick shell) and have vanilla pudding with peaches for dessert. Benig exam period, I was too lazy to do the bread bowl and instead served warm pillsbury crescents.
I got this recipe from Canadian Living (I'm going to try to start posting where I get the recipe from)
The Recipe:
2 lb (1 kg) stewing beef cubes
4 potatoes, peeled and cut in wedges
3 carrots, cut in chunks
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups beef stock
1 can (5 oz/156 mL) tomato paste
1 bay_leaf
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1. Trim and cut beef into 1-inch cubes
2. In 18- to 24-cup (4.5 to 6 L) slow-cooker, mix together beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, beef stock, tomato paste, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce
3. Cover and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours (or on High for 5 to 6 hours) or until beef and vegetables are tender
4. Add peas, salt and pepper
5. Increase heat to High
6. Whisk flour with 2 tbsp water; stir into stew
7. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until thickened
8. Discard bay leaf
My Experience:
So I followed this recipe mostly. I didn't add peas (I don't like peas) but I added 1 turnip cut in wedges.
I'm also not a huge fan of tomatoes so I probably wouldn't have the tomato paste next time. It tastes more like tomatoes than I thought it would.
I didn't try it but the original recipe suggests to serve the stew in bread bowls (hollow out a crusty bun, leaving 1/2-inch thick shell) and have vanilla pudding with peaches for dessert. Benig exam period, I was too lazy to do the bread bowl and instead served warm pillsbury crescents.
I got this recipe from Canadian Living (I'm going to try to start posting where I get the recipe from)
Friday, November 25, 2011
Hamburger Casserole
Kind of like shepherd's pie, minus the veggies, plus cheese :) in other words, way better than shepherd's pie...
The Recipe:
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 pound ground round
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced onion (1/2 small onion)
1 large egg
prepared mashed potatoes, about 2 to 4 cups
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
paprika, optional
1. Soak bread crumbs in milk
2. Mix ground beef, salt, pepper, onion, bread crumb-milk mixture, and egg
3. Spread in a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes
4. While cooking, you have time to prepare the mashed potatoes
5. Top with mashed potatoes, paprika if desired, and sprinkle with cheese
6. Return to oven for 10 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted and potatoes are thoroughly heated
Serves 4
My Experience:
Quick and easy to make! Not too many ingredients to have to worry about. You could probably replace the bread crumbs with crushed up soda crackers if you don't have any. Other than that, most people would have all ingredients on hand.
I like shepherd's pie, I love this awesome twist!
The Ratings:
My rating: 8/10
The Recipe:
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 pound ground round
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced onion (1/2 small onion)
1 large egg
prepared mashed potatoes, about 2 to 4 cups
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
paprika, optional
1. Soak bread crumbs in milk
2. Mix ground beef, salt, pepper, onion, bread crumb-milk mixture, and egg
3. Spread in a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes
4. While cooking, you have time to prepare the mashed potatoes
5. Top with mashed potatoes, paprika if desired, and sprinkle with cheese
6. Return to oven for 10 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted and potatoes are thoroughly heated
Serves 4
My Experience:
Quick and easy to make! Not too many ingredients to have to worry about. You could probably replace the bread crumbs with crushed up soda crackers if you don't have any. Other than that, most people would have all ingredients on hand.
I like shepherd's pie, I love this awesome twist!
The Ratings:
My rating: 8/10
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Roast Chicken
So I don't really have a recipe for this one. It was a guestimation and creativity on my part but I will give you the ingredients I used and cooking instructions.
The Recipe:
Paprika
Poultry seasoning
Parsley
Thyme
Rosemary
Basil
Chili powder
Olive oil
Small whole chicken
1. In a small bowl, mix the seasonings together. I would suggest equal parts of everything (less for chili powder if you don't like spicy/hot)
2. Using your hand, cover chicken with a thin coat of olive oil
3. Rub seasoning mix onto chicken to cover skin. Salt and pepper to taste
4. Preheat oven to 375F. Cook for about 1 and a half to 2 hours, until meat thermometer reads 180 in the thickest part without touching bone
5. Let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving
My Experience:
I made a similar recipe a couple months ago and can't find the recipe I used so I just made my own up and thought I would post it anyways.
If you try it, good luck. This one tasted really good and the left overs will make for great sandwiches.
The Ratings:
My rating: 8/10
The Recipe:
Paprika
Poultry seasoning
Parsley
Thyme
Rosemary
Basil
Chili powder
Olive oil
Small whole chicken
1. In a small bowl, mix the seasonings together. I would suggest equal parts of everything (less for chili powder if you don't like spicy/hot)
2. Using your hand, cover chicken with a thin coat of olive oil
3. Rub seasoning mix onto chicken to cover skin. Salt and pepper to taste
4. Preheat oven to 375F. Cook for about 1 and a half to 2 hours, until meat thermometer reads 180 in the thickest part without touching bone
5. Let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving
My Experience:
I made a similar recipe a couple months ago and can't find the recipe I used so I just made my own up and thought I would post it anyways.
If you try it, good luck. This one tasted really good and the left overs will make for great sandwiches.
The Ratings:
My rating: 8/10
Monday, November 21, 2011
Sausage Stir-Fry
Wanted to try something new with sausages and this is what I found.
The Recipe:
1 lb smoked sausage
5 carrots, cut in strips
4 celery stalks, cut in strips
2 onions, cut in wedges
1 stalk broccoli, strips and flowerets
1/3 cauliflower, in flowerets
1 red or green pepper, sliced
5 pkg Ramen noddles
Soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce
1. Cut sausage into 4 long pieces, then slice through to make pie shaped pieces
2. Saute sausage in large serving pan
3. Add vegetables and saute
4. Cover and steam
5. Meanwhile, boil 2 to 3 quarts water in a second pan and add Ramen noodles. Cook no longer than 5 minutes
6. Pour noodles in with meat and vegetables
7. Serve with soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce
My Experience:
I actually just used Italian sausages rather than the smoked sausage because that is what I had. I also boiled the sausages for a bit to tenderize the skin a little, then I sliced it and sauted it.
Also, I diced all of the vegetables rather than cutting in slices and I didn't measure the amount since I was only cooking for 2 and estimated what we would eat, allowing for a bit of left overs.
Instead of Ramen noodles, I just used penne since I had some in the cupboard and did not feel like going to the grocery store.
I used the soy sauce and it was really good. It was a nice change to my usual fried sausage with rice routine.
The Ratings:
My rating: 8.5/10
The Recipe:
1 lb smoked sausage
5 carrots, cut in strips
4 celery stalks, cut in strips
2 onions, cut in wedges
1 stalk broccoli, strips and flowerets
1/3 cauliflower, in flowerets
1 red or green pepper, sliced
5 pkg Ramen noddles
Soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce
1. Cut sausage into 4 long pieces, then slice through to make pie shaped pieces
2. Saute sausage in large serving pan
3. Add vegetables and saute
4. Cover and steam
5. Meanwhile, boil 2 to 3 quarts water in a second pan and add Ramen noodles. Cook no longer than 5 minutes
6. Pour noodles in with meat and vegetables
7. Serve with soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce
My Experience:
I actually just used Italian sausages rather than the smoked sausage because that is what I had. I also boiled the sausages for a bit to tenderize the skin a little, then I sliced it and sauted it.
Also, I diced all of the vegetables rather than cutting in slices and I didn't measure the amount since I was only cooking for 2 and estimated what we would eat, allowing for a bit of left overs.
Instead of Ramen noodles, I just used penne since I had some in the cupboard and did not feel like going to the grocery store.
I used the soy sauce and it was really good. It was a nice change to my usual fried sausage with rice routine.
The Ratings:
My rating: 8.5/10
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