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Turkey & Beef Enchilada Casserole On Next Week’s Menu….

Posted by on June 9, 2013

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Turkey & Beef Enchilada Casserole is one of my family’s favorites!  For this week’s menu I’m doing half beef and half turkey, just to mix it up.  Click here for the recipe.

I’m implementing a few ideas from the new meatless cookbook I bought a couple of weeks ago. In lieu of a soup I am doing a vegetable curry. Very light mind you, rich in flavor. Enjoy over simple steamed brown rice for a killer vegetarian dinner! If you’d like rice with it, let me know.

I haven’t offered pork tenderloin in a while. The side dish and salad will be amazing with the simply seasoned pork.
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Here’s the plan:

Grilled pork tenderloin, seasoned with fresh herbs
Apple, leek and butternut squash gratin
Green salad with warm goat cheese rounds, cider vinaigrette
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Buttermilk oven fried chicken strips-kid AND adult fav!
Corn cakes-delicious little cornmeal patties made with fresh corn
Homemade coleslaw, light yogurt and celery seed dressing
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Turkey/beef enchilada casserole-delicious seasoned beef and turkey layered with whole wheat tortillas and Mexican cheese.
Cactus salad with grape tomatoes, grape tomatoes, crumbled Mexican cheese with fresh lime cilantro dressing.
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Vegetable curry-. Caramelized bok choy, peppers & shitake mushrooms w/ fresh basil in a mild red coconut curry. So good! (light coconut milk)
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Mixed bean salad with fresh herbs
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Cantaloupe & blueberries
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Old fashioned date walnut bars

Because of you I get to do what I love. I cannot thank you enough!

Angie

Filed Under: Casseroles, Weekly Menus | Tagged:

Archived Recipe Fav’s…..

Posted by on August 29, 2011

One of my favorite events of  this summer was reconnecting with my cousins at the Henderson family reunion.  I’m pictured here with my cousin Diane.  LOVE HER!!  Anyway, we talked at length about the past and she brought up “The Green Bean Incident.”  I am posting this link for Diane:-)   I love our reunion picnics as everyone brings their best “go to” dish to share.  The food was amazing!  This got me thinking that since I haven’t posted recipes in awhile, I thought I might repost a few of my fav’s.  Comfort foods come to mind when the days start getting shorter and it is getting pleasantly cooler.

I serve pasta at least once a week.  My kids LOVE it!  So easy to prepare and when I make the sauce, I always make extra for the freezer.  It is awesome to have a sauce stashed away in the freezer to use when you’re pinched for time.  Try changing up the shapes of the noodles too.  It all tastes the same but to a kid, new and interesting shapes make for a more enjoyable dinner.  Pictured here,
Rigatoni with Meat Sauce.

There is still plenty of time left for grilling.  I do this so simply.  I toss whole mushrooms and quartered onions into a bowl and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Skewer them each on their own skewers. (onions take much longer to grill, cook them first then the mushrooms)  Personally, I do not think a good steak needs much more seasoning than good ole kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Flank steak doesn’t need to be marinated to oblivion.  Cooked to medium (a 1″ thick steak should be grilled about 6 minutes per side and turned only once) and thinly sliced on the diagonal is all you need for a flavorful and simple supper.  If you’re ever in doubt as to whether your steak is done the way you want, use an instant read thermometer and follow the guidelines below.

*Internal temperatures for different degrees of doneness:
Rare-120′ to 130′
Medium rare- 130′ to 140′
Medium- 140′ to 150′
Medium well- 150′ to 160′
Well- 160+

Oh…and potato.  Noting like a killer potato with a great piece of steak, right?  If you love twice baked potatoes, you must try my
Twice Baked Potato Casserole.  Perfectly sized or shaped potatoes are not needed for this recipe.  

I hope you had a restful weekend!

Angie

Filed Under: Casseroles, Gardening and Food Stories, Grilling, Meats, Side Dishes | Tagged:

Ultimate Beefy Mac n’ Cheese…..

Posted by on February 16, 2010

Thank you to everyone who participated in my poll.  It seems that we are all looking for great comfort foods at this time.  I couldn’t agree more.  This recipe is the epitome of “comfort.”   You can make it ahead and warm a day or two later.  This dish also freezes very well.  As always, I recommend making a double recipe, one for immediate use and one for later.  Wrap first with cling wrap, then a layer of heavy duty foil.  You can write on the foil with a sharpe pen, label the contents and date.  Use within a couple of months.

Beefy Mac-n-Cheese

1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves fresh garlic, minced, or 2 teaspoons granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
3 cans water (measure in tomato paste cans)
1 batch béchamel sauce, recipe below
1 lb. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 16 oz. package whole wheat elbow macaroni (Barilla Plus is excellent)

1) Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse and set aside. Prepare a large casserole baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350’.
2) In large skillet over medium high heat, cook ground meet until cooked through. Drain. Add onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook about 10 minutes to soften onions. Add tomato paste, mix well over heat. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
3) Add water and reduce heat to low, simmer while you’re making white sauce. Stir often.
4) In same you used for pasta, make béchamel sauce. (recipe below)  Once sauce is complete, add ½ shredded cheese and stir until cheese is melted.
5) Add meat sauce and cooked pasta to pot with white sauce. Mix well. Pour into prepared baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
6) Bake for 20 minutes.

Be ready for a very, very happy family!

*To heat after refrigeration:  Preheat oven to 350′, poke holes in top with a fork, drizzle 1 cup of milk over, bake for 40-45 minutes.
**To heat after freezing:  allow to defrost in refrigerator for 2 days.  Oven to 350′, poke holes in top with a fork, drizzle 1 cup of milk over.  Bake 45-55 minutes or until bubbly.

Filed Under: Casseroles, Pasta | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Meatless Tamale Pie….

Posted by on February 11, 2010

This is an excellent vegetarian one dish dinner recipe that will leave your tastebuds happy and your appetite satisfied.  The combination of the butternut squash, roasted poblanos, corn tortillas and white corn is absolutely delicious!  There are a few more steps to it than many of my other recipes, but it will totally be worth it.  You could roast the squash and prepare the poblano peppers a day or two ahead if you wish.  Why not double the recipe, freeze to enjoy at another time!

Meatless Tamale Pie

1 medium sized butternut squash, cut in half and seeded
1 cup water
2 teaspoons chili powder
Salt and pepper
3 poblano peppers
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 16 oz. bag frozen white corn
Salt and pepper
1 can black refried beans
1/3 cup non fat plain yogurt
16 oz. medium salsa verde
12-14 small corn tortillas
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

You will need a large casserole dish, spray generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
1) Preheat oven to 350’. Carefully cut squash in half, remove seeds. Place cut face down on cookie sheet and add water to pan. Bake until squash is soft, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool enough to handle.
2) Scoop squash out and put into medium size bowl. Add chili powder, a couple of pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. Beat with a hand mixer or with a potato masher. Add enough water to resemble the consistency of mashed potatoes. Set aside.
3) Roast the rinsed poblano peppers until they blister over a gas flame on the range, on the grill, or in the broiler. Once blistered and charred, place in a bowl and cover with foil. Allow to steam for about 20 minutes.
4) In a large skillet, heat pan with canola oil over medium high heat. Add onions, cook about 6 minutes, add garlic and cook another minute. Add corn.
5) While corn is warming, remove core and seeds from roasted poblano peppers. Remove the skin and chop peppers coarsely. Add to pan with the corn. Season with cumin, salt and pepper. Taste. Remove from heat.
6) In a small mixing bowl, combine the refried beans and plain yogurt, mix well.
7) Cut corn tortillas in half. Layer bottom of casserole dish with halved tortillas.
8) Spread black beans over tortillas and half of the cheese.
9) Pour half of the salsa verde over beans, top with another layer of corn tortillas.
10) Spread squash over tortillas and add corn on top of it. Add remaining salsa verde.
11) Add one last layer of tortillas. Pour tomatoes with juice and spread evenly. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
12) Bake at 350’ for one hour. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

This is excellent baked ahead, cooled and reheated. It will slice like lasagna. It freezes well. Serve with a cool salad with yogurt ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Casseroles, Vegetarian | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,