This is such a Minnesota classic! My grown children often request it. So easy to make!
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 (32 ounce) package tater tots, thawed
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 (6 ounce) can French-fried onion rings
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet cook ground beef with onion, salt and pepper; drain and spread into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add tater tots; mix cream of mushroom and cream of celery soup together and pour mixture over dish. Top with onion rings, if using.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
A couple ideas . . . for a little more nutritional value, add some fresh or frozen veggies such as green beans (our favorite) or a carrot/pea mix (my least favorite!). Also I have found it easier to mix the soups with the cooked hamburger and then stir in the tater tots. Otherwise, the soup just clumps.
A great side dish . . . green bean casserole. Recipe soon!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Coke Roast
My dad made this for me last time I visited, and it was wonderful! Note -- it doesn't work with diet cola. Also, my dad used Coca Cola when he made it.
COKE ROAST
1 roast
1 can coke
1 pkg. dry onion soup
Put roast in pan. Sprinkle with dry soup mix. Pour coke over roast. Bake at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours. Potatoes, carrots, etc. may be added. Juice makes extra good gravy!
Other ideas . . . do this in a crock pot. Instead of baking it in the over, bake it in a crock pot for 6-87 hours on low. Six if you start with thawed meat; 8 if you start with frozen.
And, yes, the gravy is wonderful!!
COKE ROAST
1 roast
1 can coke
1 pkg. dry onion soup
Put roast in pan. Sprinkle with dry soup mix. Pour coke over roast. Bake at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours. Potatoes, carrots, etc. may be added. Juice makes extra good gravy!
Other ideas . . . do this in a crock pot. Instead of baking it in the over, bake it in a crock pot for 6-87 hours on low. Six if you start with thawed meat; 8 if you start with frozen.
And, yes, the gravy is wonderful!!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
I made these for the first time this week and thought they were excellent. The recipe comes from the back of Ocean Spray Craisins or it can be found on the Ocean Spray web site. I used the white chocolate chips when I made the cookies.
INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Sweetened Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in sweetened dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.
Per Serving (1 cookie): Cal 135 (6%DV), Fat Cal. 54, Pro. 2g (4%DV), Carb. 18g (6%DV), Fat 6g (9%DV), Chol. 15mg (4%DV), Sod. 138mg (5%DV), Vit. A 47RE (4%DV), Vit. C 0mg (0%DV), Vit. E 1mg (2%DV), Calcium 16mg (1%DV), Iron 1mg (3%DV), Folate 5Ug (1%DV), Zinc <1mg>
Monday, June 15, 2009
Baklava -- not for the tame-of-heart
A friend of mine who has been a missionary to the Middle East claimed his wife made the best baklava in existence . . . until he ate mine. He made me promise never to tell his wife that he said that . . . so, I didn't reveal his name but only enough information to let you know that this is a fabulous recipe. Take a look at the tips at the end of the recipe. These make the process a little easier. This isn't as hard as it looks, and, believe me, it's worth the effort!! It's only a little putsy!
Baklava
Pastry
1 pound fillo pastry sheets
1 ½ cups (melted) sweet butter
2 cups walnuts, pistachio nuts or hazelnuts, roughly chopped (you can really use any combination of nuts, depending on the flavor you would like. I use pecans sometimes, but you should have at least two kinds to get the contrasting flavors.)
½ cup chopped almonds
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of ground clove
Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 slices orange and lemon rind
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
Pastry: Place sheets of fillo pastry in 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan, brushing every other sheet evenly with butter. When ten or twelve sheets are in place, combine the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and clove, and spread one third of this mixture over the top sheet. Place another five or six buttered sheets of fillo on top of the nut mixture, sprinkle them with another third of the nut mixture, and repeat with buttered fillo sheets on top, carefully buttering every other sheet.
Preheat oven to 350°.
With a sharp knife, cut the Baklava into diamond-shaped pieces. Heat the remaining butter (there should be about ½ cup) until it is very hot and beginning to brown. Pour it evenly over the Baklava. Sprinkle the top with a few drops of cold water and bake the Baklava for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 300° and continue to bake it for 1 hour longer.
Syrup: In a saucepan combine the water, sugar, honey, lemon juice, orange and lemon rind, a cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring it to the soft ball stage (235-240 degrees on a candy thermometer). Simmer it for twenty minutes. Strain (I just pick the pieces out with a spoon and don't actually strain it). When the Baklava is baked, pour cooled syrup over it.
Tip #1 -- The fillo pastry comes in sheets that are usually 13x18. Simply cut the entire stack in half to get 9x13. The left over dough can be used to make turnovers . . . or more baklava!
Tip #2 -- Fillo dough dries VERY quickly. As you are working with it keep a dampened dish towel over the stack while you work with the material in the pan. To dampen the dish towel just right, wet in and then wring it out as hard as you can. That's just the right amount of dampness.
Tip #3 -- Use unsalted butter. It does not burn easily as does the salted butter. You may use salted, but watch it carefully to prevent burning.
Tip #4 -- Simmering the syrup -- it's a really low simmer. Otherwise it scorches too easily.
Tip #5 -- cutting it into diamonds only makes it pretty. Cutting it into 1 1/2" squaares works just as well. The dough might shift a little on the top layers. That's ok. You will recut everything when the bakalva cools.
Baklava
Pastry
1 pound fillo pastry sheets
1 ½ cups (melted) sweet butter
2 cups walnuts, pistachio nuts or hazelnuts, roughly chopped (you can really use any combination of nuts, depending on the flavor you would like. I use pecans sometimes, but you should have at least two kinds to get the contrasting flavors.)
½ cup chopped almonds
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of ground clove
Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 slices orange and lemon rind
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
Pastry: Place sheets of fillo pastry in 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan, brushing every other sheet evenly with butter. When ten or twelve sheets are in place, combine the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and clove, and spread one third of this mixture over the top sheet. Place another five or six buttered sheets of fillo on top of the nut mixture, sprinkle them with another third of the nut mixture, and repeat with buttered fillo sheets on top, carefully buttering every other sheet.
Preheat oven to 350°.
With a sharp knife, cut the Baklava into diamond-shaped pieces. Heat the remaining butter (there should be about ½ cup) until it is very hot and beginning to brown. Pour it evenly over the Baklava. Sprinkle the top with a few drops of cold water and bake the Baklava for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 300° and continue to bake it for 1 hour longer.
Syrup: In a saucepan combine the water, sugar, honey, lemon juice, orange and lemon rind, a cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring it to the soft ball stage (235-240 degrees on a candy thermometer). Simmer it for twenty minutes. Strain (I just pick the pieces out with a spoon and don't actually strain it). When the Baklava is baked, pour cooled syrup over it.
Tip #1 -- The fillo pastry comes in sheets that are usually 13x18. Simply cut the entire stack in half to get 9x13. The left over dough can be used to make turnovers . . . or more baklava!
Tip #2 -- Fillo dough dries VERY quickly. As you are working with it keep a dampened dish towel over the stack while you work with the material in the pan. To dampen the dish towel just right, wet in and then wring it out as hard as you can. That's just the right amount of dampness.
Tip #3 -- Use unsalted butter. It does not burn easily as does the salted butter. You may use salted, but watch it carefully to prevent burning.
Tip #4 -- Simmering the syrup -- it's a really low simmer. Otherwise it scorches too easily.
Tip #5 -- cutting it into diamonds only makes it pretty. Cutting it into 1 1/2" squaares works just as well. The dough might shift a little on the top layers. That's ok. You will recut everything when the bakalva cools.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Southwestern Black Bean Dip/Salsa
I have made this salsa (I hesitate to call it salsa since no tomatoes are in the recipe) a number of times, and when it appears at any occasion, none of it comes home! Tostito Scoops work the best with this!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ to ½ teaspoon ground red pepper (I omit -- you can add it if you would like something with a little more bite to it.)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups fresh or frozen corn (thaw and drain if frozen) (I don’t bother doing this. I just toss it all together!)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (I use a little more)
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large red bell pepper
Instructions
Mix the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, ground red pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss. Serve with sliced vegetables or tortilla chips for dipping.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ to ½ teaspoon ground red pepper (I omit -- you can add it if you would like something with a little more bite to it.)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups fresh or frozen corn (thaw and drain if frozen) (I don’t bother doing this. I just toss it all together!)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (I use a little more)
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large red bell pepper
Instructions
Mix the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, ground red pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss. Serve with sliced vegetables or tortilla chips for dipping.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
This has to be one of the most amazing dessert I have ever made. It was SO easy and, oh, so good, especially if you are a chocolate lover like I am!
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes
Makes: 6 servings
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ cup whole milk (I used Lactaid – fat free, and it was just fine)
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine (I don’t even have margarine in my fridge!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups boiling water
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease 8”x8” glass baking dish [note: you need to use glass. Metal will be too hot and scorch the sauce] or shallow 2-quart casserole.
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ¼ cup cocoa. Stir in milk, butter, and vanilla just until smooth. It will be really thick. Spread batter into baking dish.
3. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and the other ¼ cup cocoa.; sprinkle evenly batter. Carefully pour 1 ½ cups boiling water over mixture in baking dish. DO NOT STIR.
4. Bake 30 minutes (batter will separate into cake and pudding layers.) Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.
Each serving: about 365 calories – that ain’t surprising!!
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes
Makes: 6 servings
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ cup whole milk (I used Lactaid – fat free, and it was just fine)
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine (I don’t even have margarine in my fridge!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups boiling water
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease 8”x8” glass baking dish [note: you need to use glass. Metal will be too hot and scorch the sauce] or shallow 2-quart casserole.
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ¼ cup cocoa. Stir in milk, butter, and vanilla just until smooth. It will be really thick. Spread batter into baking dish.
3. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and the other ¼ cup cocoa.; sprinkle evenly batter. Carefully pour 1 ½ cups boiling water over mixture in baking dish. DO NOT STIR.
4. Bake 30 minutes (batter will separate into cake and pudding layers.) Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.
Each serving: about 365 calories – that ain’t surprising!!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Chicken Marsala
I made this for the first time this evening. It was incredibly easy, and the flavor was wonderful! If I were to make it again, though, I would double the amount of flour, mushrooms, and wine to make more sauce. But let me experiment with that first so I can tell you exactly what to do. I also served it with linguine.
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
· 4 boneless chicken breast halves without skin
· 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 teaspoon pepper
· 1/2 teaspoon basil, dried
· 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
· 3 tablespoons olive oil
· 4 to 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (1/2 to 1 cup sliced)
· 1/2 cup Marsala wine
Preparation:
Pound chicken to 1/4" thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and basil; mix well. Heat oil and butter in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour mixture. Cook chicken until lightly browned on first side (about 2 to 3 minutes). Turn chicken and add mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook about 2 minutes longer, until lightly browned; stir the mushrooms. Add Marsala wine to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve with hot cooked pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
· 4 boneless chicken breast halves without skin
· 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 teaspoon pepper
· 1/2 teaspoon basil, dried
· 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
· 3 tablespoons olive oil
· 4 to 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (1/2 to 1 cup sliced)
· 1/2 cup Marsala wine
Preparation:
Pound chicken to 1/4" thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and basil; mix well. Heat oil and butter in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour mixture. Cook chicken until lightly browned on first side (about 2 to 3 minutes). Turn chicken and add mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook about 2 minutes longer, until lightly browned; stir the mushrooms. Add Marsala wine to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve with hot cooked pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Cooking and More
Hi folks!
I am new to blogging, but so many people have asked for different recipes of mine that I decided to start a cooking blog. I will include recipes, tips, great places in the Twin Cities to find unusual ingredients. So stay tuned for updates!
I am new to blogging, but so many people have asked for different recipes of mine that I decided to start a cooking blog. I will include recipes, tips, great places in the Twin Cities to find unusual ingredients. So stay tuned for updates!
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