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...

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!

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.

Roasted pork

Mmm. Roasted pork. Super delicious. That's about all the intro I need, I think...

First, I made a marinade/rub for the pork - garlic, olive oil, rosemary, and poultry seasoning (I couldn't find any sage in the cupboard) No salt, at least, not yet.


I lightly scored the pork roast, then rubbed in the flavorful mixture and let it sit for several hours


Hello my friends. You will make me a delicious gravy. If you see this stuff, buy it up - it is v. hard to find. Chicken, beef, even ham stock are easy enough - but pork stock is gold.


I apparently failed to take anymore prep pictures - here is our lovely food tableau.

Mmm....


Daisy is sad that she's missing out (don't worry, she got a nibble later on)

Breakfast for dinner

Mr. R was in a decidedly cranky mood this week, so I decided to lighten his spirits with a lovely breakfast for dinner night - and an excellent one at that. No namby-pamby pancakes for us! Only sausage gravy and potatoes will do! Puts hair on your chest!

First, I baked off several red potatoes while I was baking zucchini bread. Meanwhile, I got the sausage going:


Here are the 90% cooked potatoes, all chopped up and ready for a skillet:

Once the sausage was just shy of being fully browned, I added in 1/4 flour (this was too much for a "small" batch of gravy, just fyi - will use a bit less next time):


And stirred and stirred until the flour was cooked, then added in a hefty splash of milk:

Then Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper:


And then the thickening occurred...


Meanwhile, I'd sauteed some onions in a bit of olive oil, and tossed the potatoes in to crisp up a bit:


Mr. R prepared some eggs for himself, and then fixed his plate of glory - potatoes, biscuits, sausage gravy, and eggs. It was a fab dinner.

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!

Large loaf of meat dinner

Yeah, so I've been craving hash brown casserole for ages it seems like...so it had to become a part of a weekend meal of food. And what goes with HBC? Meatloaf of course. And what is a great meatloaf - the Meatloaf Cordon Bleu care of Miss M in Buffalo!

I won't tell you how to make meatloaf - every family has their own magical mixture of meat, bread or breadcrumbs, milk, egg, seasonings. Then you press said meat mixture out onto a washable surface and layer lovely ham and swiss on top....
Then roll up and squish into a giant casserole dish and decoratively top with ketchup (sooo classy)
Meanwhile, onto the HBC. Here's the creamy base - butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream...

Cheddar cheese added...
Then a package of frozen potatoes...and into the baking dish we go...
Crunchy cornflake and butter topping added and an hour in the oven and voila! HBC!
Part of a balanced dinner served with mushy canned green beans...R's favorite! As you can see, the "loaf" tried to break apart as it was wrenched from the overstuffed casserole dish...normally my meatloaves hold together a bit better. But regardless, it was still tasty!