Christmas Entertaining? Try This Easy Christmas Eve Beef Pie Recipe

ForTwo | December 20, 2009 3:10 pm | Easy Main Dishes, Easy Recipes, Meals For More Than Two, budget friendly meals, hamburger recipes | Comments (0)

With all the rich food coming on Christmas day, this easy Christmas Eve Beef Pie is hearty, filling, and so tasty!  Share this recipe with your family and friends…and add your own variations!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 cup tomato sauce with mushrooms
• 1 cup green beans, drained
• dash cumin seed
• dash garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp salt to taste
• 1 cn Refrigerated Quick Crescent Dinner Rolls
• 1 egg, beaten slightly
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese
• dash Paprika

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375. 
2. In large fry pan, brown ground geef onion, and green pepper; drain off fat.
3. Stir in tomato sauce, beans, cumin, garlic salt and salt; simmer while preparing crust.
4. Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles.  Place traingles in an ungreased 9 inch pie pn; press over bottm  and up the sides to form the crust. 
5. Combine egg nd 1 cup of cheese.  Spread over crust.
6. Spoon hot meat mixture into crust.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and paprika. 
7. Bake 20 minutes.  For easier serving, let it stand 5 minutes before cutting into pie wedges.

Serve with a green salad, and your favorite rolls or french bread.  Christmas Eve meal is done!  Coffee?

Marisue’s Aunt’s Biscuits

ForTwo | December 6, 2009 4:51 pm | Breads, Holiday Breakfasts, It's Teatime, easy breakfast recipes | Comments (0)

Move over Grandma, these biscuits will float by!  The Christmas Holiday Brunches are made extra special with these light and flaky biscuits.  Also great for special slow, weekend breakfasts!  So easy to make, you’ll do it over and over.

Aunt Lady’s Buttermilk Biscuits De-Lite!

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbls sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cream of tartar (secret ingredient, a MUST)
• 3/4 cup butter or 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup shortening combined.
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk

Procedure:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together all dry ingredients.  With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs.  Form a well in the center of the flour mixture and add buttermilk all at once.  Using a fork, stir just until moistened.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough for 4 to 6 strokes and the dough holds together.
3. Pat or lightly roll dough until 3/4 inch think.  Do not over handle dough as it will become tough.
4. Cut the dough with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. 
5. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. 
6. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 – 12 minutes or until golden.  Do not overbake.  Serve warm, with butter, jam, honey, you name it!

Grandma will be envious of these!

Christmas Bread Spreads

ForTwo | 4:39 pm | Breads, Dips and Spreads, Holiday Breakfasts | Comments (0)

All the homemade breads around the Christmas holidays just cry for some special butter toppings.  Here are some special spreads you can prepare now.  They are best if chilled for one hour before use.

Nutty Butter:  Mix 1/2 c finely chopped almonds or walnuts with 1/4 cup softened butter.  Add 1/4 c apricot or peach preserves.  Yields 1 cup.

Citrus Butter:  Mix 1/2 cup softened butter with 1 tbls powdered sugar and 1 tsp finely shredded orange peel or lemon peel or zest.  Yeild:  1/2 cup.

Breakfast Butter:  Mix 1/2 cup softened butter and 2 tbls honey or maple flavored syrup.  Yield is 1/2 cup.

Onion-Parmesan Butter:  Mix 1/2 cup butter, 2 tbls grated Parmesan cheese; and 2 tsp sliced green onion.  Makes 1/2 cup.

Herb Butter:  Mix 1/2 cup butter, and 1/2 tsp each dried thyme and marjoram, crushed or 1/2sp dried basil, crushed.  Yield 1/2 cup.

Pimiento Butter:  In a blender, combine one 4 ounce jar sliced pimientos, drained; 1 tbls anchovy paste, and 1 clove garlic, minced.  Blend well until pimientos are pureed and misture is now smooth.  Stir mmixture into 1/2 cup butter.  Yield:  1 cup.

Your buffet of butter spreads is going to be a great compliment to those warm or room temperature breads.  YUM!

Grandma’s Christmas Buttermilk Cake

ForTwo | 4:25 pm | Cakes, Desserts | Comments (0)

This cake is a delicious, moist, easy from scratch, homemade cake sure to dazzle your guests!  Even if you’re a new cook, you can do this!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 c butter, or shortening
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs, beaten slightly
• 1 1/3 c buttermilk
• 1/2 c chopped nuts, optional

Procedure:

1. Prepare cake pan by greasing the bottom and sides, and lightly dust with flour.  Shake off excess.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and salt.  Add butter until mixture is similar to coarse crumbs, set aside 1/2 cup.
3. Stir together baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg into remaining crumb mixture.
4. In separate bowl, combine eggs and buttermilk.  Add egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture.  Spoon batter into prepared pan. 
5. Take reserved crumb mixture and add the nuts, if desired and sprinkle over cake in pan.
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Serve warm with whipped cream if desired.  It’s also good with a powdered sugar glaze drizzled over the warm cake.

A Few Cooking Tips for Healthy Meals

ForTwo | June 24, 2009 9:40 am | Guest Authors | Comments (0)

Changing the way we cook our food can have a dramatic effect on our health. If we make wiser choices with our food and the way we cook it, we can significantly reduce our risk of contracting cancer and heart disease.

Here are some top tips for healthy cooking:-

1. Invest in non stick pans – With quality non-stick pans you can get away with not using oil at all or by using a low fat cooking spray. You can also ‘fry’ some foods in a little water to prevent them sticking. If you have to use oil, use olive oil and pat food with kitchen roll after cooking to remove excess oil.2. Look through your recipes collection for diet recipes and low fat recipes. Cook them in batches and freeze so that you always have a healthy meal option available.3. Steam or stir-fry vegetables – Cooking them using these methods will help the vegetables to retain their nutrients, colour and taste. Look for healthy recipes like Chinese stir-fries and invest in a wok and steamer. You can buy Chinese bamboo steamers, which just sit on top of a pan of boiling water, or you can buy electric steamers. You can get a good electric steamer for less than the cost of one meal out and the ease of use is a real time saver.4. Use olive oil – Replace other oils or fats with olive oil which is a mono-unsaturated oil and actually helps to reduce cholesterol. Make your own salad dressings from olive oil and balsamic vinegar to give your salad a Mediterranean taste and this will be lower in fat than commercial salad dressings. Search online for free recipes using olive oil. Some muffin recipes use olive oil or corn oil instead of solid fats.5. Use fat free milk in cooking and baking to cut the fat content of your healthy recipes.6. Replace fat in baking – Look for low fat recipes for cakes and biscuits or replace half the fat in recipes with pureed prunes, yogurt or mashed banana. Search for diet recipes for sweet treats.7. Use fat-free yogurt or creme fraiche instead of using cream for pouring on dessert recipes or fruit.8. Add more vegetables to casseroles and soups and use fresh or frozen vegetables rather than canned.9. Don’t add salt to food – Season food with herbs, spices, garlic and lemon juice instead of salt.10. Trim visible fat off meat and use lean meat in your low fat recipes. Cut down on how much red meat you consume and replace with fish and chicken or turkey.

Remember, cooking and eating healthy food is not hard work and definitely not expensive. If you play your cards right you can change you whole family’s diet and they won’t suspect a thing. That isn’t to say that they won’t notice anything though, because they will – they may well notice that they are losing weight, feeling better and getting fewer minor illnesses.

If that isn’t reason enough to try out a few these tips, I don’t know what is!

Broiled Catfish with Spicy Crust

ForTwo | May 17, 2009 5:04 pm | fish | Comments (0)

Purchasing a good quality frozen catfish fillets brings this dish to the table as a hit!

Crust Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp yellow coarse ground cornmeal, or fine if you prefer
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Main Ingredients:

• 4 skinless catfish fillets (make sure there is no black skin attached)
• 1 1/2 tsp canola oil, or olive oil
• lemon wedges

Procedure:

• Preheat the broiler and position the pan bout 6 inches from the heat source.
• Combine the cornmeal, paprika, thyme, cayenne, and black pepper, mixing well.  Set aside.
• Place the catfish fillets between 2 pieces of waxed paper.  Using a roller pin, roll it back and forth over the fillets, pressing down slightly, to flatten the fillets to the desired thinness.
• Place the fillets on a plate and brush them lightly with the oil.  Then, place the fillets in the cornmeal mixture and lightly turn them to coat.  You may prefer to coat only one side, letting it be the top.
• Arrange the fillets on the broiler pan and broil for 6 – 8 minutes until the center is “white.”  (Test with a small knife) 

Serve immediately with the Yogurt/Fig sauce.

Fresh fruit for dessert makes this meal extra healthy!  Add slaw if you like, making sure to use dressing sparingly.

Yogurt and Fig Sauce for Fish

• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups nonfat plain yogurt (NOT VANILLA)
• 1/2 C DICED dried figs or dates
• 2 tsp honey
• dash of cinnamon or ground nutmeg

Toast the walnuts briefly.

Top yogurt with toasted walnuts and dried figs,  Drizzle the honey on top and garnish with the cinnamon.  This is a wonderfully healthy substitutue for tartar sauce for any fish!

Beefy Mushroom Turnovers

ForTwo | May 10, 2009 4:00 pm | Brunch, hamburger recipes | Comments (0)

Tasty snacks in a jiffy will feed your company or family on weekends and evenings when you don’t want to cook anything complicated.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 c chopped mushrooms
• 1/3 c onion, chopped
• 1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/3 c Dijonn Mustard
• 2 tbsp red bell pepper, diced fine
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme 2 pkg refrigerated crescent dough
• 1 egg, beaten
• poppy seeds for garnish

Procedure

1. Brown ground beef, mushrooms, and onon until beef is done, stirring occasionally.  Make sure ground beef, or sausage if you prefer, is broken up well and is of fine consistency, with no large clumps.
2. Remove from heat and drain well, then stir in cheese, mustard, bell pepper and thyme.
3. Separate each package of dough into 4 rectangles, press perforations together to seal.  On floured surface, roll each rectangle into 6 inch squares.  Cut each square into quarters, making 32 squares total.  Place 1 scant tablespoon sausage or beef  mixture on each square; fold dough over filling on the diagonal to form triangle.  Press edges with fork to seal.  Place on pre-greased baking sheets. 
4. Brush triangles with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesaame or poppy seed.  Bake at 375F for 10 to 12 min or until golden brown.  Serve warm.

Yield:  32 appetizers.

Green Vegetables in Main Dishes – Beef and Asparagus Stir-Fry

ForTwo | May 6, 2009 8:14 pm | Green Vegetables, hamburger recipes | Comments (0)

Love that asparagus when it’s in season!  Blanch and freeze it, then, thaw and chop it up in main dishes, rice dishes, soups and salads!  The main reason some people don’t like asparagus is because it is way over-cooked, as in canned asparagus.  The soft, slimy texture causes many kids and adults alike to turn away.

Keep it tender-crisp!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cut fresh asparagus, or cut frozen
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 cup water chestnutse, sliced and drianed
• 1 pkg fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 tsp sesame oil, or olive oil
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup  hoisin sauce ( it is spicy!)
• 1 & 1/2 cup beef broth
• 2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp minced fresh gingerrot
• 1 large tomato, chopped

Hot cooked rice.

Procedure

1.  In dkillet or wok, cook beef over medium heat, drain and set aside.  In same pan, stir-fry asparagus, water chestnuts, mushrooms and garlic in oil for 5 minutes, crisp-tender.
2. In bowl, combine the cornstarch, broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and ginger.  Blend well, and pour over vegetables.  Return beef to the pan.  Boil and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes or until thick.  Remove from heat, stir in the tomato, serving over rice.

Enjoy with a cold green salad and if you’re not full, check out the desserts on this site.

Yield: 4 servings or 2 generous servings.  Leftovers are even better the next day, so seal this in the refrigerator or share with your neighbors, if they like spice!! 

Note:  Dilute Hoisin sauce with spoons of water if it is too strong for you.

Polenta! Thank the Italians!

ForTwo | May 3, 2009 4:12 pm | Meals For More Than Two, Side Dishes | Comments (0)

Polenta, which is both the name of Italy’s popular cornmeal and the robust porridge made from it, is usually eaten as a savory side dish.  This recipe illustrates how good it can be as a hot breakfast cereal.  If you like grits, or cornbread, you’ll love polenta, which, to me, tastes like “corny grits.”

This makes enough for 4 – 6 people, so it’s great for company or sharing with the neighbors.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts
• 5 c low-fat milk
• 1/2 tsp salt, don’t scrimp, it needs it and maybe a dash more
• 1 c polenta
• 6 tbsp pure maple syrup, sugarless if needed
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 c seedless raisins, optional
• 3/4 milk, or half-and-half, or heavy cream, your choice

Procedure

1. Over medium heat, combine the milk and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps from forming. 
2. Pour in the polenta in a thin, steady stream.  Reduce the heat to low and cook, sirring often.  Polenta should be very thick, which will take about 20 minutes.
3. Stir in the mapy syrup and transfer to warmed individual bowls.  Eat the polenta as it is, or top with additional butter, rasins, nuts or milk. 

Pretty healthy, so enjoy!

Ravioli with Beef Ragu Topper

ForTwo | April 29, 2009 5:37 pm | Meals for Two, hamburger recipes | Comments (0)

Here’s something interesting to do with a can of ravioli that is quite tasty!

Ingredients:

• 1 can beef ravioli, large or small
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 c chopped onion
• 2 med plum tomatoes, diced, or one small can of your favorite tomatoes, diced or sliced
• 1 c beef broth
• 1/2 c red wine
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp minced garlic

Grated Parmesan cheese for top.

Procedure:

1. Brown ground beef and onion.  Add tomatoes, broth, wine, tomato paste, rosemary, sugar, garlic and salt. 
2. Bring to boil.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 – 45 minutes.
3. Heat Ravioli in separate pan.  Spoon into casserole dish, top with beef mixture. 

Garnish with Parmesan cheese; serve with salad and crusty bread.  YUM!  Fast and easy!