Back with a Bang

For those of you who have ever watched an episode on TLC or Discovery channel featuring The Duggar Family of Arkansas, you will know the importance of tater tot casserole. I've been wondering what it would taste like since I saw my first Duggar special several years ago....so last night, I embarked on a mission to find out.

First, I browned off a pound of ground beef and one small onion.


Meanwhile, I got a large bag of tots cooked in the oven - most recipes don't call for this step, but I wanted to attempt to have a wee bit of crunch to the tots - I got them v. brown.


After cooking, the tots were loaded into my casserole dish

Then the meat/onion topping was poured over


Then the creamy casserole goodness - 2 cans of cream of mushroom (the healthy variety), 3/4 c sour cream, a handful of french-fried onions, and some shredded cheese


After an hour in a 350 degree oven, the creamy topping had slightly browned in the oven, but the meat/tot mixture was bubbling beneath.


And here we go - part of a balanced dinner with the ubiquitous pea side dish.

I have to say it was pretty good. I mean, casseroles are rarely the meals you dream about - but after only really experiencing rice or pasta based casseroles, this tot-based variety was kind of tasty. Something to keep in the back pocket of the Midwestern chef is all I'm saying...

Leftover stir fry

Ok, apparently R and I can't handle a 3 lb roast so there was a lot of leftover beef. I decided to make a stir fry with it, as I heart the vegetables, I do.

First, the sauce - soy, chicken broth, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, garlic (obviously), black pepper, red pepper flakes, a tiny bit of pineapple juice, and some brown sugar.


I wanted to use mushrooms, but sometimes their flavor gets a bit lost in the stir fry, so I roasted them first - single layer on a sheet pan, 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.


Chopped up the meat...


And got 2 small onions and a bell pepper sizzling in the pan...


Jumping ahead, adding in the meat, about 1/2 c of pineapple tidbits, frozen snap peas, frozen green beans, and for me, broccoli


Sorry about this pan - must add the color changing sauce...

Served with rice - it was really tasty! I liked the cheesy additional of pineapple - not v. classy, but tasty! I did not add an insane amount of broccoli, it just all hung out on the top of my dish for some reason.


A lovely new year meal.

New Year's Dinner

I decided we needed a mildly flashy New Year's dinner, and since I'm a beef kick, we had a roast beef. I've made this before and have surely blogged about it, so suffer through it again!

First, I lay a nest for the beef - garlic, onion, carrot. I'm using my cast iron skillet because I'm trying to be better about using it.


And then, the 3 lb eye of round roast can be nestled on its nest.


That baked at 325 degrees for about an hour and a half - I pulled it out when it hit 130 degrees. I drained the pan, taking out the veg and random herbs, and put the pan juices back in. I added a hefty pat of butter.


Meanwhile, the beef rests. Hello there Mr. Beef.


I added flour to the fat in the pan, and got a roux working, then added in some beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Oh, and a tiny dab of Dijon, because I thought the gravy tasted too fatty.


Then I sliced that beef and served it up with some potatoes, roasted asparagus, and a roll. Because we're fancy like that.

It was quite tasty and Miss Daisy enjoyed licking a lot of pots!

R birthday dinner

Mr. R wanted tacos for his birthday, so tacos he got. He did let me "glam" them up a bit by using a flat-iron steak for the tacos and jazzing up the plate with some beans and spanish (ish) rice. I know I've written of our taco/fajita/burrito love before, but I don't think I've ever covered my loves for flavored rice AND cast iron. So off we go!

First, for our fiesta rice, take a bit of olive oil and a diced bell pepper and onion and let that sizzle away until softened.


The add your rice (I usually let that tan up in the hot oil before adding liquid) and water or water-like products - in my case, half water, half tomato juice and salsa juice


20 minutes later, voila!


Now, onto cast iron. Mrs. Elle has a fine envy-inspiring collection of cast iron now, but for me, I make do with my one large skillet. Hello friend. Here, my friend is heating up.


And gets wicked hot! In you go, friendly flat iron steak - sizzle!


I served the steak very thinly sliced with onions and peppers and the traditional sides of cheese, sour cream, and salsa. It was a very tasty dinner!

Beef beef and more beef!

When I went to Buffalo a few weeks ago, Miss M's parents made delicious beef shish-ka-bobs. As in, I couldn't stop eating meat good. I'm not a huge meat fan - I only really make it because Mr. R enjoys it so much. I'd go weeks without meat, probably, if given the choice. But I digress. This marinade was fabulous.

I took a London broil, and put it in said marinade (apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Worcestershire) and let it sit for 2 days (oops, I didn't plan well) Then Mr. R grilled it.



Sliced it up and served with some mushrooms/peppers that will cooked on a high heat in the oven - roasted, I guess is what you'd say. And rice with green onion. Yum!

Steak and potatoes (sort of)

So, Mrs. Elle and I ventured to the lovely and strange MR. MEATBALL store on Saturday morning. Along with 5 lbs of meatballs, I bought a package of frozen gnocchi. I was very excited to try it ASAP, so I dug out some old filet from the freezer and decided to serve the gnocchi with a tomato-vodka sauce. Fancy, right?

Here's the meat - salted/peppered/awaiting the grill (sort of strange shapes of filet)


And lovely homemade marinara sauce, warming up

AWAITING THE VODKA! And there we go (classy, eh?)

Meanwhile, I got the gnocchi percolating in salted water


Once tender, I added them to the sauce

Ooops, forgot to add some cream to the sauce - added that in


Then cheese, a big handful


And the steaks are ready, thanks Mr. R.


And there we go - with more carbs in the form of garlic bread (I can eat that morning, noon, and night). The steak looks a little crispy there, it got slightly blackened on the outside, but was fairly red inside.

The gnocchi were lovely. I want more now.

The pie of shepherds

So, I got this month's Everyday Food, which featured a variety of one-pot comfort dinners, including a version of shepherd's pie. I didn't really LOVE everything about that recipe, nor any other recipes I tracked down, so with the help of Miss M, I Macguyver'ed up a recipe that was pretty darn tasty.

First, my mirepoix plus garlic. I did have more onions, but I'd already put them in the pan before I took the picture.


Then, as so many of my recipes start, saute onions in a little olive oil. Plus a random carrot and some celery accidentally.


Meanwhile, I got 2 pounds of peeled, chopped Russet potatoes going in some salted water.


After 10 minutes, I added in the carrots and celery along with some salt and pepper.


Then two cloves of chopped garlic and a little over a pound of ground beef - this was actually a coarsely-ground chuck. When the beef was about halfway browned, I added some dried thyme and rosemary.


Once the beef is browned, I added in a heaping teaspoonful of tomato paste - I didn't want this tasting too "Italian-y" so I didn't want to overdo it on tomato flavor. And some lovely Worcestershire sauce - several good squirts. Then, I added about 1/4 c of flour, and let that cook for a bit. Then I poured in a cup of beef broth and let that simmer until thickened.


Meanwhile, the potatoes were done - time to mash with some butter, milk and grated cheddar.



Back in the other pan, I added in several handfuls of frozen peas and got those warmed through. Then it was time to assemble - ladle the stew into a casserole dish...


And top with mashed potatoes - I dragged a fork through the top of the potatoes for a decorative flair.

Then I threw on some more cheese and put it in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes - put the broiler on for the last 4-5 minutes. Mmm...crispy top.


This tasted really good, even if it didn't look very pretty.


My only changes in the future - let the carrots and vegetables saute for a lot longer - they were a bit crunchy; add more peas (my mother was visiting, I didn't want to overdo it with green veggies); the ground beef was fine, but I know it would be super delicious with some leftover brisket or chuck roast; definitely let the potatoes get crispier on top BEFORE adding the cheese. This was a very good dinner though, and I look forward to making it again through the winter.

A new potato recipe!

We found ourselves with a lot of potatoes - I'd bought some at the store and my father graciously gave us a bag of them from his garden. Getting a bit tired of our normal potato preparations and after Mr. R pointed out that I'd never made him my own personal version of potato salad (he has a family recipe, I have a family recipe, and ne'er the two shall meet), we opted for a German potato salad - a bacon-based dressing, served warm. I'd seen this Mary Nolan recipe the one time I watched her show, "Chic and Easy," and it stuck with me. Definitely not your typical mayo-filled fare.

First, get the potatoes boiling in salted water (HELLO HOME GROWN POTATOES!)


Then, you must cook the bacon - as you can see here, I did not use the half-pound required in the recipe (my pan cannot accommodate that much in one go)

While the bacon cooked, I got the rest of my ingredients ready to go - cider vinegar, sugar, onions, and Dijon mustard


While I was working, Mr. R made hamburgers

Once the bacon is crisp, time for the onions to have their turn in the bacon fat


About 8 minutes later, the onions were ready and it was time for the dressing-making


Add the Dijon, sugar, and vinegar to the hot onions - along with a generous helping of black pepper. Stir until thickened.


Then, slice your potatoes into fairly thick slices (maybe not as thick as mine, those suckers were hot!) and add to the dressing - toss to coat and place into your classy serving bowl. I opted to top it with some green onion (did not have chives on hand).


Serve warm with a delicious gorgonzola topped burger, and you're good to go!