French Dip Sandwiches (Slow Cooker)

This is a perfect busy-day recipe. You put it together in just a few minutes, then let it cook all day. 

1 bottom-round roast, about 3 pounds
2 cups beef broth or consomme
Seasoning: freshly-ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt

Season the meat on all sides. Place in slow cooker and pour broth over it. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour, then turn down to LOW for about 7 to 8 hours.

Trim fat off the meat and cut into a few chunks, then shred with 2 forks OR if you have a stand mixer, try this really easy way: Put chunks of meat into the mixer. Using the paddle attachment, spin it a few times on LOW. Rearrange the contents of the bowl and spin a few more times. Watch carefully as there's a fine line between shredded and pureed.

(Hat tip to Gluten Free Homemaker for the stand-mixer idea! It really works!)

Serve on Italian rolls with the juice from the crockpot for dipping.

Menu Plan most of October 2011

Big Brother came home from college for a few hours yesterday, to grab a winter jacket and reload on homemade cookies and Easy Mac.

For the record, Ranger Cookies still work if you forget to add the Rice Krispies.  (I was wondering why the dough seemed a little different this time.)

When he and his girlfriend showed up, there was much rummaging in the refrigerator for lunch.  That's when they got a look at the calendar on the front of the fridge.  It's where I've been keeping my menu plan.

"Maybe we could eat our dinners here every night," Big Brother's girlfriend sighed.  Best compliment EVER!

There's nothing like Dorm Food to make your kids appreciate Mom's Home Cooking.

Beginning of the month menu plan is here.

Sat 8:  visited my parents & had dinner there

Sun 9:  diner

Mon 10:  Italian veal stew (which is apparently on my college student's Dinner Wish List for next time he comes home!)

Tues 11:  Chicken enchiladas

Wed 12:  Chicken & noodle skillet

Thurs 13:  Spaghetti

Fri 14:  Pizza

Sat 15:  Fajitas (thanks, Father Leo!)

Sun 16:  Roast chicken, baked potatoes

Mon 17:  ate at the Irish Pub (if you're local, don't miss the Guinness Beef Stew over mashed potatoes)

Tues 18:  Chicken Swiss Melt

Wed 19:  Taco Skillet

Thurs 20:  Spaghetti

Fri 21:  Crab & corn soup (I'm not posting this recipe, as it was only so-so.  I'll try again sometime)

Sat 22:  Chicken on the grill, sauteed asparagus, yellow rice

Sun 23:  Chicken parmesan

Mon 24:  Slowcooker orange chicken, brown rice, Asian green beans

Tues 25:  Maple-Hoisin Salmon (now with pictures!)

Wed 26:  ate at the diner

Thurs 27:  Lemon Mushroom Herb Chicken, rice, mixed vegetables

Fri 28:  Spaghetti

Sat 29:  Enchilada Soup

Sun 30:  Italian Beef Sandwiches (With back-to-back rehearsals from 1 to 7 PM, I needed a trusty slow-cooker recipe for Sunday and this is perfect)

The plan for Halloween is still up in the air.  A lot depends on what time trick-or-treat is going to start.

Care Package Time!

Otherwise known as:  how much can YOU fit into a Priority Mail Flat-Rate box?

I just boxed up a Halloween-treat package for Big Brother, who's in college.  I used a small-size Priority Mail Flat-Rate box, which is about the size of a trade paperback book (approximately 5X8X1.5)

That is one STUFFED box.  There are 2 15-packs of Extra gum, an entire bag of fun-size Snickers Peanut Butter Squared, and nearly an entire bag of fun-size standard Snickers.  Only 3 candy bars wouldn't fit in the box.  I'll consider those my tip.

It would probably be cheaper for me to just drive over and drop off a bag of treats, but there's nothing like getting a package in the mail.

Happy Halloween, Big Brother!

Sauteed Asparagus

I cannot believe how easy this is!  3 ingredients and 5 minutes are all you need for a delicious side dish.

1 bunch asparagus spears (thin ones cook faster)
2 TBL minced garlic or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
3 TBL olive oil

Carefully rinse your fresh asparagus spears earlier in the day and leave them in a colander to dry, or gently pat dry with a paper towel.

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet, then add asparagus and garlic.  Toss to coat, and stir fry for 5 minutes until asparagus is done.

Honey-Oat Bread (Secret Recipe Club)

Sometimes things just don't go as planned.  Fortunately, this bread was goof-proof at a time when I really needed it to be!

I was assigned Dinners, Dishes and Desserts as my Secret Recipe Club blog for October.  Oh, the desserts!  I think I gained 5 pounds just looking at the pictures.  A few recipes are bookmarked for future taste-testing, like Cinnamon Roll Muffins--wouldn't those be a delicious breakfast treat?  Erin has recipes for all sorts of tasty treats, as well as some main-dish recipes too.

It was hard to choose, but my decision was made when I saw the recipe for Honey-Oat Bread.  I've got a toast eater in this house, and I was hoping to find a good bread recipe that would make great breakfast toast--to get him off the store-brand white bread he usually eats.  This bread has a healthy dose of oatmeal, plus a touch of sweetness from the honey.  We all liked it so much, there was barely any left for toast the next morning after we ate most of one loaf with dinner and shared the other with a neighbor.

This is some beautiful bread!

Here's the part where things didn't go as planned:  I made the dough in the bread machine, and I was really distracted when I put it all together.  (So distracted, in fact, that I dumped the yeast in with the water and other liquids--usually bread machine recipes call for the yeast to go in last, on top of the dry ingredients!)  I was also so distracted that I didn't pay attention to the part where the beaten egg is used as a wash for the tops of the loaves.  I tossed that right in to the bread machine as well.  Then I realized what I'd done, but I figured, what the heck--I'll bake it and see what I get.

2 hours later the dough cycle was done and the dough was JUST at the top of the pan.  It looked and felt just like bread dough is supposed to; slightly tacky, a little lumpy from the oatmeal (I only had old-fashioned oats).  I divided it into 2 loaves, rolled up the dough and put in greased loaf pans.

So here's the recipe as I made it (the original recipe can be found here):

Honey-Oat Bread (makes two loaves)
Printable Recipe

1 ¾ cup warm water
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup honey
3 Tbl Canola Oil
2 ½ tsp salt
5 cups all purpose flour
¾ cups oats (I used old-fashioned but the original called for quick oats)
1 Tbl Active Dry Yeast

Add ingredients to your bread machine pan in order recommended by the manufacturer.  Select the dough cycle.  When the cycle is done, remove bread to a floured surface and divide into two portions.  Pat or roll into a rectangle, then roll tightly and place in two greased loaf pans.  Allow to rise 1 hour.  Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.

Thanks, Erin, for this recipe for a delicious bread that went as well with dinner as it did with breakfast!  This one is a keeper for sure.

Menu Plan October 1-7, 2011

Sat 1:  Honey mustard chicken, hash brown casserole, broccoli, oatmeal bread

Sun 2:  leftovers

Mon 3:  ate at the new Golden Corral buffet

Tues 4:  Chicken piccata

Wed 5:  Spaghetti

Thurs 6:  went to a pasta party for Middle Sister's soccer team

Fri 7:  Crab mac 'n cheese

September 2011 menu

September was a crazy month!  Big Brother was back at school and I was still getting used to cooking for only 4 again.  Both kids are busy with soccer, and they were also both involved in a musical at the community theatre.  It was rare that all 4 of us still at home got to eat all together--and I didn't want to have to resort to dining out too often.  I wound up doing that more than I cared to, but we did manage to eat at home MOST nights.

Thurs 1:  BBQ chicken in the crockpot, potatoes

Fri 2:  pizza

Sat 3:  leftovers

Sun 4:  ate at the diner

Mon 5:  picnic with friends.  We brought Dr. Pepper baked beans and Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes Tues 6:  taco skillet

Wed 7:  Hawaiian Chicken, rice

Thurs 8:  Roast chicken

Fri 9:  Shrimp tacos

Sat 10:  Chicken francese

Sun 11:  potluck at the theatre.  We brought baked ziti with meat.

Mon 12:  BBQ chicken calzones

Tues 13:  Spaghetti

Wed 14:  Beef & noodle skillet

Thurs 15:  ate out

Fri 16:  ate out

Sat 17:  Tandoori chicken

Sun 18:  Spanish rice with pork

Mon 19:  Chili honey chicken

Tues 20:  Roast chicken cooked in gravy over noodles

Wed 21:  Spanish garlic shrimp

Thurs 22:  Chicken Caroline

Fri 23:  Pasta with shrimp marinara

Sat 24:  ate out

Sun 25:  burgers

Mon 26:  honey & garlic chicken

Tues 27:  garlic & cheddar chicken

Wed 28:  spaghetti

Thurs 29:  combo tacos

Fri 30:  French bread pizza

Quiche for One: It's What's for Lunch

Real men might not eat quiche, but I love it as a quick, high-protein lunch.  This recipe is NOT low in fat, but it sure is delicious.  It's a twist on a full-size quiche recipe that my mom's been making since quiche (quiches?) were fashionable in the '80s.

Quiche for One
Get the recipe and nutrition facts at Cook and Count!

Secret Recipe Club: Buttermilk Biscuits

My teenage daughter has been on a biscuit kick ever since we vacationed in Florida this summer.  I think she ate biscuits at every meal.  Then she wanted me to make them for her at home.  I'm not a fan of Bisquick biscuits, so any biscuits I'd been making were the kind that came out of a Poppin' Fresh can.  All you Southern cooks can laugh at this ignorant Yankee if you want.  But you can be done laughing now, because I found a really good recipe and I know how to use it.

Thanks to Victoria at Mission: Food, the blog I was assigned for September's Secret Recipe Club, I learned that buttermilk biscuits are not mission:  impossible for me!

Buttermilk Biscuits from Mission: Food
Get the recipe and nutrition facts at my new website: Cook and Count!

Giveaway: HomeRoutines App for iPhone/iPod touch

I'm thrilled that I've received an extra code to give all the iPhone/iPod touch users a chance to win a free app! I've been using the HomeRoutines app for iPhone/iPod touch since the beginning of the year, and when I got an iPad I bought the app for that as well.  HomeRoutines is designed to help you manage those repetitive tasks that must be done on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

It's easy to use, with a nice-looking interface.  It's easy to customize, which I love.  And now that it's got a web component, it's easy to keep track of everything no matter what device you're using at the moment.

When you check off a task, you give yourself a gold star!  And you can decide when the app resets the stars, so you don't have to go around every Monday morning and un-check everything you did last week.

I don't spend money on apps lightly; I bought the iPod app on sale.  But when I got my iPad, I paid full price for that version of the app, and I've recommended it plenty of times.   I even helped beta-test the web app and sync functionality.  As a beta tester, I received a FREE code for the iPhone/iPod touch app to give away.

Want to win this app?  Leave a comment on this post answering the question:

What's your least favorite household chore?

Remember, this code is only good for the iPhone/iPod touch version of HomeRoutines.  The code will not work on the iPad version.  Unfortunately, I don't have an iPhone or iPod to give away along with it.

This giveaway will close at midnight EDT on Saturday, September 10.  Comments posted after that time will not be counted.  A winner will be chosen at random from all comments on Sunday, September 11.  One entry per person, please.  Winners must supply a valid email address and must reply to notification of their win within 48 hours, or another winner will be chosen.

Giveaway: Home Routines App for iPad

I love it when I get to give away something that I use myself! I've been using the HomeRoutines app for iPhone/iPod touch since the beginning of the year, and when I got an iPad I bought the app for that as well.  HomeRoutines is designed to help you manage those repetitive tasks that must be done on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

It's easy to use, with a nice-looking interface.  It's easy to customize, which I love.  And now that it's got a web component, it's easy to keep track of everything no matter what device you're using at the moment.

When you check off a task, you give yourself a gold star!  And you can decide when the app resets the stars, so you don't have to go around every Monday morning and un-check everything you did last week.

I don't spend money on apps lightly; I bought the iPod app on sale.  But when I got my iPad, I paid full price for that version of the app, and I've recommended it plenty of times.   I even helped beta-test the web app and sync functionality.  As a beta tester, I received a FREE code for the iPad app to give away.

Want to win this app?  Leave a comment on this post answering the question:

What's your least favorite household chore?

Remember, this code is only good for the iPad version of HomeRoutines.  The code will not work on the iPhone/iPod version.  Unfortunately, I don't have an iPad to give away along with it.

This giveaway will close at midnight EDT on Thursday, September 8.  Comments posted after that time will not be counted.  A winner will be chosen at random from all comments on Friday, September 9.  One entry per person, please.  Winners must supply a valid email address and must reply to notification of their win within 48 hours, or another winner will be chosen.


UPDATE:  CLOSED! 

Citrus Cilantro Chicken Legs

Get the recipe with nutrition information and photo at Cook and Count!

What's Cookin'? Late August 2011

Citrus cilantro chicken legs

It's been a while since I posted a menu plan, so here's the rest of August 2011:

14 - 18 vacation

Friday 19:  Shrimp Scampi with Linguine (this is a great pantry meal!  The frozen shrimp defrost quickly in cold water, and you can peel them in the time it takes to boil water for pasta.)

Saturday 20:  at a family picnic

Sunday 21:  Chili honey chicken, rice

Monday 22:  Citrus cilantro chicken legs

Tuesday 23:  Tacos

Wednesday 24:  Chicken pitas, orzo with garlic

Thursday 25:  Spaghetti

Friday 26:  dinner out for TheDad's birthday

Saturday 27:  Roast chicken, baked potatoes

Sunday 28:  Luau chicken on the grill, corn on the cob

Monday 29:  Southwest chili mac

Tuesday 30:  Spaghetti

Wednesday 31:  Meatball sandwiches

Ranch Salad Dressing Mix

My Southwestern Chili Mac recipe calls for a teaspoon of ranch salad dressing mix. That's not the kind of thing I keep in the house, but I didn't have to run to the store to make that dinner! It's really easy to make this mix and keep it at home.

In an 8-ounce or larger jar (I used an old bottle from parsley flakes), combine:

1/2 cup dry buttermilk powder
1 TBL dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Put the lid on and shake well to mix. Store in the refrigerator.

1 tablespoon = 1 packet of mix.

I love to keep seasoning mixes around, and this way I can control the seasonings. I used extra garlic powder and pepper since that's the way we like it. It's much more frugal to mix up a seasoning blend than to keep buying a new one, especially when I have many spices around to play with!

Recipe source

Southwestern Chili Mac

This recipe was inspired by Picky Palate's Southwestern Chicken Chili Mac. It looked so delicious, I knew we had to try it.

I changed a few ingredients based on my family's preferences and what we had on hand. I had Pork Carnitas in the freezer and used that for the meat.

SOUTHWESTERN CHILI MAC
Print this recipe!

1/2 lb. small pasta, cooked al dente, drained and rinsed (shells, wagon wheels, elbows or spirals)
2 cups pork carnitas (or other shredded, cooked chicken or pork)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small bell pepper, finely chopped (any color)
1 TBL minced garlic
1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with chilies, mild
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup corn (canned, frozen or fresh)
1/2 can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 TBL chili powder
1 TBL cumin
1 tsp dry Ranch salad-dressing mix
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese
oil for the pan

In a deep skillet, cook onions and peppers until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Add remaining ingredients except cheese.  Stir until well combined and simmer until heated thoroughly.

In the future I will season this differently.

Ro-Tel adds enough spice that I could have done without the chili and cumin. Also, I'd rather use a can of tomato sauce and half a can of water for the liquid rather than chicken broth.

Remember to choose the right pan for the job. It's always better to have a pan that's a little bigger than you need--the pan on the right is the one I used for this recipe and I barely squeezed it all in. Stirring without spilling was a tough job.

This is a great way to use leftover cooked chicken or pork--or pasta that was leftover from another meal. I used half a can each of corn and beans, and froze the rest for next time. (Yes, canned vegetables can be frozen in appropriate containers). We really liked this easy, pantry-friendly dish.

How Hot is Hot?

If you've ever found a recipe on a European, Canadian or Australian website, or in a very old cookbook, you'll notice some differences in temperature notation.  So how hot IS a hot oven, anyway--and what's "gas mark 3?"

Thanks to Online Conversion for this very useful info!

Chili Honey Chicken

Get the recipe and nutrition facts at Cook and Count!

Frugal Hydration at College or Anywhere

Big Brother went back to college yesterday. Last week, when he was making his grocery list, he observed that even though there's a supermarket down the block from school, everything is twice the price that it is at home. I do what I can to keep him in Dr. Pepper and a few other things that are impossibly priced in his school's Philadelphia neighborhood. (He took 4 cases of soda to school with him yesterday).

He's also a water drinker, and last year he'd hike the block to buy a case of water bottles and then lug that back to his dorm. This time, he mentioned that he'd do that when he got to school. Then he had another idea. "Maybe I'll just get a Brita pitcher and use that. I've got a sink in my room."

A water pitcher plus one extra filter will be enough to get him through the semester, and it weighs a whole lot less--and takes up much less space--than a case of water bottles that lasts 3 weeks at most.  He's got a reusable bottle if he wants to carry water to class; otherwise, there are plenty of cups and mugs in his box of stuff.

I Confess

This afternoon I did something that I have never done. I drove to the liquor store and bought two bottles of wine.

You see, we don't drink alcohol. It's our choice, and we're not going to judge others who choose differently, but this choice works for us. I keep a bottle of Jack Daniels around for Christmas cookies...and that's pretty much it.

You may have noticed that I have several recipes that call for wine. And here comes the confession part: all this time, I've been using cooking wine. (All together now: ewwwwwwwwww!)

Yeah. I make my own chicken stock, freeze lemon and lime juice and like to make things from scratch. And then I go to ShopRite and buy cooking wine.

Last Thanksgiving, we were given a bottle of white wine as a gift. I've been using it, 1/4 cup at a time, in Chicken Piccata and Shrimp Scampi. Last week we used the last of it. And I needed more for tonight.

Next time I go to the liquor store, I'll invest in some sherry and Marsala. Then my days of cooking with cooking wine will really be over.

Let's hear it for the Real Thing.

The big reveal

The results are in from yesterday's big reveal in the secret recipe club. Want to know which of my recipes was chosen? It was my Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies. Over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, the cookie expert took my recipe in a new direction and made them into bars. Must try!

I am working without my computer this week and also without much wifi. I am still a newbie on this iPad so please excuse the lack of a link right now. If you check yesterday's secret recipe club post and scroll to the bottom of the link list you will find the recipe for Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.