Swiss steak

I'm not sure what an actual Swiss steak recipe is.  This isn't how my mom  used to make it, so as far as I know, it's not the norm.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs round steak
1 can condensed Campbells Golden Mushroom soup.
beef stock, I have used the condensed beef stock as well as the containers, you can control the thickness of the dish by using the condensed
1 medium can diced tomatoes, drained
1 medium onion cut into medium pieces.
1 green bell pepper cut into thick strips
pepper
garlic powder
salt
skinny egg noodles

Directions:
Place the steak in a large pot with soup, beef stock, and 2 cans of water.  Add onions. Simmer for about 20 minutes.  Add diced tomatoes, green peppers, season with pepper, garlic powder and salt.  Continue to simmer for another 30-40 minutes or until pepper is the consistency/crunchiness you prefer.

You can add more water to thin the broth or add cornstarch to thicken it.  This is a matter of preference.

Serve with skinny egg noodles

Vicky

Homemade applesauce

I love, love, love applesauce and so does everyone in the house.  I also like baking new things, especially things that smell good.  I don't know too many things that smell better than cooking apples with cinnamon - it's no wonder there are so many candle companies that make Apple Cinnamon scents, it's because it's delicious!  Growing up my mom used to make cooked apples in the microwave sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.  It wasn't anything amazing or unusual, but we always liked it.  I decided to try my hand at applesauce on the stove.  It shouldn't be too difficult, if you cook apples long enough you can smash them: so that's exactly what I did.

I used 4 apples and quickly realized after it was on the table that a 1:1 apple/person ration would be best.  So when 5 people were at the table, we were sadly, 1 apple too short.  I'll go ahead and redo this again using 6 or 7 apples, they were a big hit and, although not a ton of work, it is enough work that I want to make sure everyone has enough.

Homemade applesauce:

6-8 apples - try to use at least 2 different types of apples and avoid sour apples like Granny Smith
3-4 Tbsp apple cider - I will probably use apple juice when cider isn't available
cinnamon and sugar to taste

1. Peel and chop apples into 1/2" cubes.
2. Place all the ingredients into a deep sauté pan*.  Cook covered about 20 minutes, stir frequently**.  Apples are done when they are soft enough to mash.
3. Mash them with a fork to the consistency/chunkiness you prefer.  Eat them warm or cold but remember, there aren't any preservatives and treat leftovers as you would any other leftovers.

Enjoy!

*My pan is about 3" deep and 10" wide, the 4 apples filled the pan about halfway up.
**If you notice the pan is getting dry add an extra Tbsp of cider or juice.

I added a bit too much cinnamon to this batch.  Hubby said it tasted like really good pie filling.  Hmmm... maybe I'll be making some apple pie this Thanksgiving.  Maybe.

Vicky

Apple pieces

I got the idea from eating apple chips and making pumpkin seeds.  I'm certainly not the only one who has thought of it and I'm sure my recipe isn't exactly original.  I'm not sure, I figure if I don't look other recipes up, I won't know and therefore I can claim this as an original.  :)

Ingredients:
Apples
Cinnamon and sugar (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 250°F

2. Slice the apples as thin as possible, I recommend using a mandolin.  I also cored the apples, I know in the crispy bags, you can eat the seeds, but all I could think of is cyanide laced apple seeds.

3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

4. Make a thin layer of apple slices on the parchment paper and stick in the oven on the second to bottom rack about 6" from the bottom.

If you are making it with cinnamon and sugar follow steps 1 & 2:

3. Use a very small amount of cinnamon and sugar.  You may choose to use only cinnamon.

4. Layer on the parchment lined cookie sheet and stick in the oven.

Cook it for 2 hours.  Flip the apples after about an hour.  These will come out chewier.  They will not be crispy as the bagged kind from the grocery store.  Either way, we finished 4 apples in 1 1/2 days.

My Pampered Chef mandolin.  I'm not even sure if they still sell them!  I've had it for years and (gee surprise, surprise) it works great.

In the oven.  Be sure to keep the door closed and only open a couple of times to keep it hot inside.  This was not what I would consider a thin layer.  Next time I will use fewer apples to allow for a thinner layer.

Mmmmm....  all done and ready to eat.

The cinnamon apples took a bit longer to cook and ended up being a bit soggier because of the extra sugar creating juice.  They were still very good and were gone before the plain.

The obvious advice:  I suggest not sticking your arm in to flip the apples but rather take the cookie sheet out.  If you decide to  not take this advice, at least use a mitt.

We never had a chance to store them in anything as they were eaten too quickly.

Vicky

Raisin bread

This is  fun recipe.  It's a yeast bread that requires some kneading and and waiting for the dough to rise, but when it's done, it is an amazing bread that will go quickly.  It's also a large recipe and makes 3 loaves which I personally think is nice.  In our house, raisin bread doesn't last long enough for it to get hard or go bad.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. warm water (110°F/45°C)
2 (.25 oz) packages active dry yeast
3 eggs
1/2 c plus 1 Tbsp white sugar, divided
1 tsp salt
1/2 c butter or margarine, softened
1 c raisins
8 c all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp milk
3/4 c white sugar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon


Directions:
1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, remove from heat and let cool until lukewarm.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water and 1 Tbsp sugar, set aside until yeast is frothy.  Mix in eggs, 1/2 c sugar, butter and salt.  Stir in cooled milk.  Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough.
3. Add the raisins.  Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes.  Place in a large, greased mixing bowl and turn the dough to grease the surface of the dough.  Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise until it's doubled in size.
4. Punch down the dough and knead a few times.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2" thick.  Moisten dough with 2 Tbsp milk.  Mix together the 3/4 c white sugar and the cinnamon and sprinkle on top of the milk covered dough.  Roll up the dough tightly, about 3" in diameter.  Cut into thirds, tuck the ends under and place in lightly greased 9x5" pans.  Let rise for 1 hour.
5. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40 minutes or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when knocked.  Remove loaves from pan and let cool before slicing.

The other loaf has a chunk missing from it, it was barely out of the pan and Bug yanked off a piece.  I figured I'd better take a picture before they were all ruined.

Vicky

Hosting summer parties

I have a bunch of recipes that I love, some I love more than others but during the summer when I am asked to bring a side, there is a good chance that I will bring one of these sides.  If I am hosting, there will be at least one of these dishes.  Easy, fun and always a huge hit.  Some are recipes that I have tweaked from others and some are recipes given to me.


In my family, we have appetizers.  It can be a huge Thanksgiving meal and we will still have appetizers.  A family bar-b-que is definitely no exception.


Guacamole:


2-3 ripe avocados, smashed to the smoothest consistency you can get/want
2 diced tomatoes
1/2 red onion-diced
1/4 - 1/2 fresh cilantro bunch, cut or torn up
Juice or 1 lime
A tablespoon scoop of salsa (helps with consistency)
I use 1 Tbsp Penzey's Southwest Seasoning or you can use salt and pepper to taste


Tomato/mozzarella/basil salad:


Here's the side:


I apologize for this recipe, I don't really measure any of it.
1-2 pint grape tomatoes
1 cup bite sized mozzarella cubes.  I go to the deli counter and ask for 2-3 slices of cheese cut in 1/2" slices then I cut it up from there.
7-8 basil leaves torn up
a few Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
a few Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Oregano, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to taste.
Diced onion (opt) I don't use this though.


Mix it all up and refrigerate overnight.  If it is still dry, add more oil and vinegar.


Mimosa:


And of course the drink.


INGREDIENTS:
1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
1 1/2 cups rum

1/2 cup white sugar
1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
1 cup orange juice

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Have the fruit, rum, wine, and orange juice well chilled. Slice the lemon, lime and orange into thin rounds and place in a large glass pitcher. Pour in the rum and sugar. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours to develop the flavors.
2.  When ready to serve, crush the fruit lightly with a wooden spoon and stir in the wine and orange juice. Adjust sweetness to taste.



Vicky

Watch out Cake Boss

Well it may not have been perfect, but I had so much fun decorating Sunshine's cake.  Monkey decided that he did NOT want a candy cake but wanted cupcakes.  I enjoyed making those as well but realized that I really needed 1. more practice 2. more tips for my frosting bag 3. more bags and most of all 4. more time!  I was working up until the morning of at noon and guests were coming at 3:00.  I was still wearing sweats, food needed to be prepared, the kids needed  to be dressed and I had a mess of dirty dishes overflowing my sink, counters, and sinks.  Then I had a table covered in powdered sugar.  I do mean covered, you could see some brown of the wood in places but in other places it was just a white mess.  I needed to sift the sugar and it continued fluff/fall out all over the place.

Wilton's Carousel Cake DIY design and frost it.  Next time I'll make sure I have a darker color.  I was pretty bummed about how light the color was.  Apparently using the yellow butter makes it impossible to make a lavender.  Instead you get a grayish color.  The royal icing turned out a nice pretty lavender but still lighter than I had wanted.  I like the peach color around the bottom.

Here are 13 of the 24 cupcakes the Monkey and I made.  Can you tell which are the ones he made?  I will definitely need more decorating bags though.

Vicky
*So this isn't really a "recipe", I just like to brag!

Sherry Roast Duck

OMG!  I found this recipe on all recipes and it was the best!  On a complete whim, I decided to buy a whole duck.  I have never made a duck and have only had it a couple of times when I've been out to dinner.  I didn't know how to cook it or what to serve it with.  It wasn't a cheap whim and I didn't want to mess it up.  I decided to check out Allrecipes.com and see what looked interesting.  I've never cooked with sherry, rosemary isn't always my favorite herb, but for some reason, I decided to give it a try.  Since it wasn't cheap, I decided to make it for a special New Year dinner.  The following recipe is for a 4lb duck, increase the amount depending on how large the duck is.


1 (4 pound) frozen duck
6 Tbsp olive oil (divided)
2 cups dry sherry (divided)
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp dried basil


Directions:
1.  Partially thaw duck in the refrigerator.  The skin should be soft but the insides should still be frozen.  Take the duck out of the wrapping and stab the duck 15 to 20 times, making sure to penetrate past the layer of fat (go in approximately 3/4").  This is very important for the marinating process.
2.  In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 cup sherry and 3 Tbsp olive oil.  Place the duck in the mixing bowl.  Spread the sherry and olive oil all over the duck.  Cover the bowl well and refrigerate until fully thawed.*
3.  Make a paste using 3 Tbsp olive oil, oregano, rosemary and basil.  Remove duck from oil/sherry marinade and place duck in roasting pan, reserve marinade, and remove neck bone and giblets.  Spread some of the oil/sherry marinade into the duck.  Rub the paste onto and inside of the duck.  Pour remaining cup of sherry into the bottom of a roasting pan.  Preheat oven to 375F while the duck marinates.
4.  Roast for about 30 minutes per 1lb.  Baste every 30-45 minutes.


*The recipe says over night works best.  I was worried that it wasn't completely thawed the next day, so it marinated from Dec. 30 to Jan. 1st.

I served with garlic sautéed asparagus, baked sweet potatoes, corn, and rolls.  The kids tried it all and loved the duck,( and the sweet potatoes but that's not what this post is, is it :).)



Vicky

Shepherd's Pie

Ok, when my friend told me she was going to make me shepherd's pie for dinner after Bug was born I was a little nervous.  I always had shepherd's pie with meat, potatoes, and canned green beans.  This was awesome!  I gorged myself on it until I was absolutely stuffed and then ate some more.  I made it in a large corning ware dish and the 4 of us ate it in 2 days.  There was a lot of chopping, cutting and slicing so I would recommend doing more than you need and saving some for other dishes you may be making later in the week.


Ingredients:
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
9 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, sliced and quartered
1 celery stalk, sliced
1/2 lb mushrooms, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp salt, divided
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup canned low sodium beef broth
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
ground black pepper
4 cups mashed potatoes
1/4 c grated parmesan (optional)


Ingredients for mashed potatoes:
1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes
2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
6 tbsp butter
2 tbsp fresh parsley


Directions:


Peel and boil potatoes in water until soft.  Mash in large bowl with the salt, milk, and butter.  Cook until there are no or few lumps.  Add the parsley and mash it in.


Preheat oven to 375


Heat the olive oil and 2 tbsp of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, oregano, and 1/2 the salt.  Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook until mushrooms are soft and tomato paste has turned brick red, about 8 minutes more.  Stir in the beef, the broth, the remain salt, the worcestershire sauce, and some pepper, breaking up any large clumps or meat.  Cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.


Transfer the meat and veggies to a 2 quart oval casserole dish and spread the potatoes over the top, leaving a 1/4" boarder around the edge.  Sprinkle with cheese and dot with the remaining butter.  Bake until potatoes brown and the juices bubble around the edge, about 40 minutes.  Cook for 10 minutes before serving.

Vicky

Pizza Soup

This is my own soup, my husband named it.  I've tried breaking from it, but like so many things, once it's been named, you can't change it.  The recipe makes a huge pot so be prepared for either company, lots of leftovers, or freezing.  The soup has a nice zest without being spicy.



1 lb ground Italian sausage, browned (I use mild)

1/2 stick or 5-6" pepperoni sliced and quartered
1 can tomato paste
2 diced tomatoes
1 diced onion
1 red pepper, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 can or 1 sm carton fresh mushrooms, sliced and broken in pieces
1 chicken bullion cube
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
oregano
basil
pepper
celery flakes
Either pasta (we use 1/2 box of the mini fusilli) or Italian/French bread


I don't measure any of my spices, I just add them.  I also forgot to add the celery flakes and it tasted just fine without.

Add everything to the pot except the carrots, pasta and mushrooms.  Add carrots and mushrooms 1/2 hour before you plan to eat.

Cook for as long as you like.  I've let it cook for a couple of hours but the other day I was out doing errands and only had about an hour to do all the chopping, browning and cooking.  It still tasted great.

Vicky

Crock pot potato soup

I wish I could take credit for this, but alas, I cannot.  It takes a bit of effort since you do need to get it ready in the morning.  I think next time I'll make the bacon and use the leftovers for the soup instead of making the bacon for soup then eating the rest of bacon as I put it in the fridge.    

5 large potatoes, diced - not sure how large a large potato is, I had too many in mine, I'll need to try less

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cans of condensed chicken soup
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups (1 pint) half and half cream
1 12 oz can evaporated milk

6 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces - Hubby said 6 was not enough but I thought it was fine

DIRECTIONS:


1. Lightly brown the onion with a small amount of butter or margarine.
2. Put onions, condensed soup, water, potatoes, salt, dill weed, and white pepper in crock pot.  Cover and cook on LOW 6 - 7 hours stirring occasionally.
3.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and half and half.  Stir into the soup along with the evaporated milk and bacon.  Cover and cook another 30 minutes before serving.


Serve with chives and cheddar cheese.


Vicky