Getting on the Pioneer Woman Bandwagon

This week I was organized. I had a menu plan. It was a great menu plan.

But then last night, driving home from work, I realized that even though it was Thursday, I didn’t want meatloaf. It was too pretty outside to make meatloaf. Meatloaf should be made when its cloudy and drizzly. Not when its bright and sunny and almost warm.

So I had to change my plan. Quickly.

Then I remembered my friend Ree. OK, I guess that in order to call her a friend, we ought to have had some kind of two-way conversation. So far our friendship was defined from me reading about her photography, food and life on her blog. And if that makes me a friend, she’s got a LOT of friends. ‘Cause everyone’s reading her blog it seems.

Everyone also seems to be cooking her recipes and raving about them, like her Pork Tenderloin over at The Big Red Kitchen, her Pasta Carbonara over in The Kitchn, and several of her dishes at Lauren’s Kitchen.

I remembered one of her recipes I’d seen for BBQ Meatballs. And, as usual with her blog, I remembered the photo looked Drool-inducing, want-to-lick-my-monitor, amazing. Then I pulled up the recipe, and my mind was set on making this recipe the moment I read this line:
“You’ll know they’re done when your house smells so good you want to marry it.”
C’mon. Really. Who could resist a promise like that?

And the promise was fulfilled. After about 20 minutes in the oven, the boys started appearing in the kitchen asking what smelled so good. I popped the oven door open to see if they were finished yet, and my mouth immediately started watering from the smell.

She was right. I wanted to marry my kitchen.

Then, as we ate dinner, I realized that I was wrong. I can’t marry a kitchen, no matter how good it smelled.

I want to marry the meatballs.

Or maybe just a torrid love affair.

Pretty in Pink

Ahhhh…smoooooth….creammmy….riiiich…

Tonight’s dinner was the same pink sauce that Anna and I made with the gnocci last month, only this time I served it with fettuccine and shrimp.

Hush. I don’t care that it looks like spaghetti. It’s fettuccine. I didn’t forget to buy fettuccine. And you can’t prove it.

Cause it’s gone. Gobbled up.

You should have heard the table. Nobody was talking. We’re not supposed to talk with our mouths full.

Missin’ Texas

First, let me start by saying we LOVE living where we do. The greeness of everything…being close to family…life in the country…almost everything.

What we don’t love, however, is the lack of Tex-Mex food. Most of the restaurants around here are Cal-Mex. If you don’t think there’s a difference, then you’ve never had Tex-Mex. Less cilantro, more cheese. Less grilled, more fried. Less veggie, more meat.

I was in the mood for some real Tex-Mex food. Some remember that great restaurant-we-used-to-go-to-food. Some hearty, beefy taquitos. And the only place to get them around here is at my own dining table.

To make your own taquitos, you will need:
Day One:
- Roast (4-5 pounds). Choose a roast that would be good for pot roast (chuck, round-bone, etc.)
- 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (in the Mexican Food section of every grocery store I’ve
ever looked for them in)
-2-3 cloves garlic
Day Two:
-1/2 onion (sauteed)
1/2 pound cheddar cheese
1 pkg corn tortillas (probably about 20)
oil

Day One:
So yesterday I did some preparation. I whizzed the chipotles, the included adobo sauce and the garlic cloves around in my food processor. This mixture was dumped over the roast in the crockpot and after I turned the roast over a time or two to distribute, I plopped the lid on the crockpot, set it to low and walked away for about 6 hours.

After 6 hours, I pulled the roast out, and put it in a bowl in the fridge. The sauce that was left behind in the crockpot I poured into a separate container and also refrigerated it.

Day Two:
Fast forward to tonight. Pulled the roast out of the fridge and Nick and I hand-shredded the meat, pulling the chunks of fat & gristle out. The sauce was de-greased (easy since the fridge chilled it into a layer on the top of the container and I just had to lift it out and throw it away). The sauce then went in a saucepan with some sauteed onions and reduced about 1/2. The reduction went into the food processor and was whizzed around until smooth.

At this point, you’ll have to make a decision as to how much heat your family wants. I added all the sauce to the bowl of meat, but next time I’ll probably just add 1/2 of it. It was pretty spicy. Of course, if you would rather have little spice, you could use a mild taco sauce or even just tomato sauce. Grate about 1/2 pound cheddar cheese and mix that in with the beef and chipotle sauce also.

Pour 1/2″ or so of oil into the bottom of a pan and set it on a medium burner to heat up.
Turn the oven on to 425 and set out a rimmed baking sheet.

When the oil in the pan is warm, it’s time to begin. Place a tortilla in the oil until the tortilla starts to bubble up, and immediately remove tortilla to a board covered with a couple paper towels. This warms the tortillas up enough that they won’t crack when you roll them. Place about 3 T of the beef mixture on the tortilla, and roll them up into a tube shape. Set them on the baking sheet with the edge down to keep it rolled. I did them in batches of 3.

Please note, this will make a mess! Your stove will be covered in dripped oil.

Once you have used either all the tortillas or all the meat, pop the baking sheet in the oven. Bake about 15 minutes, then pull them out and turn them upside down to continue crisping for another 10 minutes or so.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole (if you’re not allergic like me) or salsa.
Then close your eyes and imagine you’re in Texas.

Corn Chowder for a Cold Day

I don’t get it. What is wrong with the weather around here? Apparently people who could see the outdoors and don’t work in a windowless basement (like I do) experienced snow, hail, sleet and rain. Just over a week ago was some of the prettiest weather we could have asked for.

I try to be optimistic, but sometimes, it’s just impossible.

So, to warm us all up from the nasty cold weather, I made a big pot of corn chowder. And to make it a little more special, I provided toppings for everyone to choose from.

This is a super-easy, super-quick, super-scrumptious dinner that everyone enjoys. Add a loaf of sourdough bread, and you’ll feel warm to the core.

Corn Chowder
1/2 pound bacon
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 c flour
4 c chicken broth
2 c milk
2 med/large yukon gold potatoes
1 bag frozen corn
salt & pepper

Cut the bacon in 1/2″ pieces, and fry until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. pour out all but about 1/4 c bacon grease. Add onions and saute in bacon grease until softened. Stir in flour and cook for a minute or two.

Add chicken broth and milk. Wash potatoes and cut into 1″ dice. Add to pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook until potatoes are tender.

While potatoes are cooking, whiz 1/2 bag of frozen corn in food processor until mostly smooth. Add milk or water to facilitate if necessary. After potatoes are tender, add pureed corn. Return soup to boil. Season to taste.

Remove from stove and stir in remaining 1/2 bag frozen corn.

Serve and enjoy. Topping suggestions we love include:
Tomatoes, cheddar cheese, jalapeno, green onions and the crisp bacon from the first step of the recipe.

PS: This makes EXCELLENT leftovers!

Can-free Tuna Casserole

A few months ago I shared my absolutely delicious recipe for Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas that are made without the dreaded “can-a-soup”. Trust me, make it once, and you’ll never go back.

Now here’s another can-free recipe, this time for a regularly-mocked standby dinner. Tuna Noodle Casserole. It doesn’t take any more time than the canny recipe, you can make the sauce in the time it takes to bring the water to a boil and cook the noodles. OK, it’s not totally can-free unless you make your own chicken broth, but at least it’s “can-a-soup”-free.

And it’s good.

Really, really good.

Can-free Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 pkg egg noodles
2 T Butter
2 T oil
1/2 onion, chopped
mushrooms, sliced (quantity depends on how much you like mushrooms)
1/2 c flour
Salt & Pepper
2 c chicken broth
1/2 c cream
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 cans tuna (I like the tuna in oil…it just tastes better)
3 oz cheddar cheese, cubed + 1 oz, grated
frozen green peas (again, quantity depends on how much you like peas – substitute a different veggie if you don’t like ‘em at all)
leftover potato chips or bread crumbs

Cook egg noodles as directed on package.
Melt oil & butter together. Saute onion & mushroom until onions are translucent and mushrooms are golden brown. Season with salt & pepper. Mix in flour. Add chicken broth. Cook, stirring often until thickened. Add cream and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until thickened again.

Mix together drained noodles, sauce, tuna, peas and cubed cheddar. Put into a casserole dish. Top with grated cheddar mixed with potato chips or bread crumbs.

Bake at 375 until cheese is melted and casserole is hot.

Enjoy!