Welp, I finalized the Thanksgiving menu. Overall, it’s all do-able, and I’ll make the mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot to free up burner space. Otherwise, it’s going to be an adventure.
Best be hitting the gym now…
recipe
Fresh Purple Hull Peas in the Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
So, I’ve been playing with the new gadget. Overall, the Instant Pot is pretty handy. While I think some recipes I have seen go overboard in trying to make it the end-all-be-all, “lets cook everything in it” wunderkind, I still can see using it a couple of times a week. Thus far, it’s worth the investment.
My awesome neighbor dropped by a couple of days ago with a big bag of freshly shelled purple hull peas from the farm. Score! Local food and purple hulls I didn’t have to shell myself? Can’t beat that with a stick. I knew these would work fairly well in the pressure cooker, so I tossed them in and ended up with perfectly cooked, delicious peas in record time. Here’s how I did it:
Ingredients
Method
- Place peas, ham hock, chicken broth, 1/2 TBS of salt, pepper, and olive oil in the Instant Pot/pressure cooker. Attach lid and set pot to "manual" for 20 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally. Taste peas for seasoning and add additional salt if needed.
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One thing I really appreciated about cooking the peas in the pressure cooker was that I did not steam up my kitchen by simmering them on the stove for hours. The heat index is 102 degrees today, so you can see how that also helps tip the scales onto the “it’s ok I splurged on a trendy thing” side. At least, that’s what I’ll keep telling myself.
Super Bowl Snack–Bourbon Meatballs That Will Make People Love You More
Ya know, for the life of me, I do not understand why the Super Bowl is on a Sunday night. Rumor has it that many of us have work and school the next day, so staying up late, partying, and feasting would probably be an event best served by a Saturday timeslot. Alas, since we all do have to do that whole responsible work/school thing, we usually keep our festivities low-key. I make some snacks, maybe have a family member or two over (if that), and put on my fat pants. I love an excuse to have a menu consist entirely of appetizers, because I like variety…and not having to construct a singular meal that at least one picky eater is going to complain about.
Rather than the fancy Crab Mornay or Lamb Chops from holiday parties, the big game is all about hearty, easy-to-make (and eat) food. These Bourbon Meatballs are just that. Stir everything together, cook for a bit, then settle down and watch your attendees go bananas over them. You can transfer them to a slow cooker to keep warm, making them an easy, hot appetizer for any event. I even took them to a Mardi Gras parade last year. My husband thinks these are manna from heaven, and no one ever needs to know how freaking easy they are. It’ll be our secret, ok?
Ingredients
Method
- In a large pot, combine barbecue sauce, bourbon, honey, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Add meatballs and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Provide toothpicks to your hungry guests and give them death threats if they even think about double-dipping. Oh, look, there some bourbon left in the bottle! Whatever shall we do?
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Tasty Tuesday–Pumpkin Bread
After three months of no rain, magic water fell from the sky this weekend, finally allowing temperatures to drop below 80 degrees. We procured Halloween costumes for the Heathens, put in more work on planning the school Halloween carnival, and celebrated the return of the braised pork and roasted butternut squash pizza from our favorite restaurant. This week is shaping up to be busy beyond belief with carnival preparations, but I decided to hit the pause button yesterday and whip up that pumpkin bread I’ve been longing for. This recipe is super easy, an since it makes two loaves, you can surprise someone special who also needs a little autumn pick-me-up.
Notes
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup water
- 3 cups white sugar
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1-1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two standard size loaf pans.
- In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
- Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
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Tasty Tuesday–Maple-Mustard Grilled Lamb Chops
My sister’s birthday was this weekend, and I cooked a big meal in her honor, complete with some of her favorite foods and a towering chocolate peanut butter cake. Since she loves lamb, I decided to make these little beauties which are always a hit. I love this recipe when entertaining because I can marinate the lamb the night before, and with a fast grill time, I have a stunning yet deceptively easy meal ready in a flash. Lamb, in years past, hasn’t been readily available in my little corner of Louisiana. However, now most grocery stores and Sam’s Clubs carry it. I still miss those big, bone-in legs of lamb we used to get when we lived in California, but at least we are no longer completely denied.
Notes
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (the real stuff)
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 racks of lamb
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Using a very sharp knife, carefully cut lamb racks into individual chops. If your butcher will do this for you, go for it. Place lamb chops in a large, resealable zip-top bag.
- Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, whisking well. Pour marinade over lamb, shaking bag well to coat. Place bag in a large bowl (just in case it leaks), and refrigerate at least 6 hours. Turn the bag occasionally to ensure even marinating.
- Remove lamb from bag, discarding marinade. Salt and pepper both sides of the lamb chops. Grill over medium-high heat until desired doneness, 3-4 minutes per side. You can serve these as an appetizer or an entrée.
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The leftovers make great sandwiches. I smeared some of the cheesy, twice-baked potatoes on one of my husband’s toasted homemade onion rolls and topped it with the lamb. I’m obscene like that. Don’t judge, it was dang tasty.
Diet Kryptonite
My husband went on another baking frenzy this weekend, and I will be jogging extra miles all week to undo the damage to my waistline. He found a recipe online that ended up being the best dang cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had. I was all prepared to resist temptation, but alas, I failed.
It started out innocently enough:
But then, it got worse:
And then, he went and did this:
And then, they looked like that:
And then I committed diet suicide…twice. ’nuff said. If you see desperate woman running frantically around the park, that would probably be me.
Want to try the best dang cinnamon rolls ever? You really should, but don’t blame me if you need new pants later.
Notes
Ingredients
Dough
Dough
- 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup margarine, melted
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup white sugar
-
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeastFilling
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
-
1/3 cup butter, softenedIcing
- 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
- After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.
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Getting the Heathens to Eat Something Other Than Chicken—Kid (and Husband) Friendly Salmon Croquettes
Living in the land of picky eaters means that I have to tinker with recipes…a lot. In any given culinary experiment, I am usually forced to omit one, if not several ingredients because either the Heathens or my husband will not touch the dish otherwise. I’ve worked hard to get the kids eating proteins beyond chicken, chicken and more chicken. Oh, how I’ve worked, Progress is slow, but they’ve come a long way in the past year. They both embraced sausage, bacon and steak, but seafood is still hit and miss.
I recently stumbled on a new way to make Salmon Croquettes that helped further the cause. You really should try these. They are dang tasty.
Notes
Here's what you will need:
Add all the remaining ingredients:
Mix all the ingredients together with your hands until well combined. Sorry Charlie, but there is really no better way to mix it than with your hands. I'm not a fan of touching stinky fish either, but that's what good hand soap is for.
Once the ingredients are combined, form the mixture into 8 patties:
Cover the patties with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. If you don't, they will just fall apart when you cook them, and that sure isn't fun. Once the patties are chilled, heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Basically, you need enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook the patties about three minutes on each side:
Watch the patties carefully, because they burn easily if you don't; turn the heat down if they are in danger. Since the salmon is already cooked, you are only heating the patties through and browning the outside. Trust me, three minutes per side should be plenty.
Remove the patties from the skillet and drain on paper towels:
- 1 can (14.7 oz) salmon (you'll need to take out the bones and junk)
- 1 pkg. herb stuffing mix
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh dude)
Add all the remaining ingredients:
Mix all the ingredients together with your hands until well combined. Sorry Charlie, but there is really no better way to mix it than with your hands. I'm not a fan of touching stinky fish either, but that's what good hand soap is for.
Once the ingredients are combined, form the mixture into 8 patties:
Cover the patties with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. If you don't, they will just fall apart when you cook them, and that sure isn't fun. Once the patties are chilled, heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Basically, you need enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook the patties about three minutes on each side:
Watch the patties carefully, because they burn easily if you don't; turn the heat down if they are in danger. Since the salmon is already cooked, you are only heating the patties through and browning the outside. Trust me, three minutes per side should be plenty.
Remove the patties from the skillet and drain on paper towels:
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The Heathens eat these with ketchup (*sigh*), but I bet a good Remoulade would be awesome too. My husband saves the extra patties (if there are any extras) and slaps them on a burger bun with cheese for lunch the next day.
An entrée for less than $5 that the kids actually eat? One that’s not chicken?
I call that score one for mom.
Sunday Dinner & My Husband’s Breadsticks
We had a nice weekend, and with the help of my industrious husband, we enjoyed a wonderful Sunday dinner. While I whipped up some Chicken and Sausage Spaghetti, he broke out the bread machine. I love it when we does that…what girl wouldn’t be giddy when her husband bakes for her?
My husband knew his way around a bread machine long before he met me, and his repertoire included homemade cinnamon rolls, oat bread and breadsticks. Our busy schedules have not allowed much time for baking lately, so when I heard he was mixing up a batch of Garlic Breadsticks, I practically swooned.
Want to try ’em? Here’s the recipe:
Notes
- 1 1/8 cups water (70 to 80 degrees F)
- 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 3 cups flour (Bread flour is ok too).
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, melted
- In bread machine pan, place the first nine ingredients in order listed. Select dough setting. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 20 portions. Shape each into a ball; roll each into a 9-in. rope. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Brush warm breadsticks with butter.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Trust me, they are dang tasty.
School Projects Are No Fun—But Dinner Sure Is Tasty
I’ve been in school-project-hell this weekend. G-Man has a social studies project due in a couple of weeks, which any mom knows means that we all can kiss our free time goodbye until it’s done.
I really, really struggle with school projects, to the point that I truly dread when they come up. I want my kids to do them on their own, because that is the whole point, right? However, in the age of growing parent competitiveness (i.e ridiculousness), I learned early on that some parents’ idea of “helping” their kids is actually doing the project for them. I hate seeing super-slick class projects that you just know were done more by the parents than the child, if not in their entireity. Normally, I shrug it off, but I can’t help wondering if my child’s honest effort will be compared to their peers, and found lacking because I didn’t ensure all that glossy polish by practically doing the final product myself. Further, I don’t want my kids to feel substandard because their classmates’ projects look like professional advertising materials, while ours reflects the true work of a 4th grader. I am in a constant battle to figure out how to help my child be successful, without crippling him by doing too much. I wish I had the answer, but in the meantime, I still bleeping hate school project time.
In semi-related news, I tried a new recipe last night that I found in this month’s Southern Living. This King Ranch Mac and Cheese seemed like just the kid-friendly meal I needed to take the sting off our marathon report-writing session. This was dang tasty, and much faster to put together than I anticipated. The boys raved about it, so you know it’s not just the pregnancy talking.
Notes
-
Ingredients
-
1/2 (16-oz.) package cellentani pasta (I couldn't find this at Wally World, so I used ¾ of a 16-oz. box of elbow macaroni)
-
2 tablespoons butter
-
1 medium onion, diced
-
1 green bell pepper, diced
-
1 (10-oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles (I used the "mild" Rotel to make this more Heathen-friendly)
-
1 (8-oz.) package pasteurized prepared cheese product, cubed
-
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
-
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup
-
1/2 cup sour cream
-
1 teaspoon chili powder
-
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-
1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheesePreparation
-
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
-
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes and green chiles and prepared cheese product; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Stir in chicken, next 4 ingredients, and hot cooked pasta until blended. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 11- x 7-inch baking dish; sprinkle with shredded Cheddar cheese.
-
3. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.
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By following this dinner with our first King Cake of the season, I got to relish in a little “you’re the best mom ever!” That is, until I announced that it was shower time…then I was back to being Captain Meanie-Pants.
But, I’m cool with that.
Avian Invaders and Greek Food—Yep, It’s as Completely Unrelated as You Think
When I came home from work today, this little guy had taken up residence in the base of my deck. I gave him wide berth, but he somehow managed to give me the “Whatchoo talking bout, Willis” look from every angle.
I am pretty sure that look is the “bleep off” version of bird. Hopefully, he’ll move along soon, because my boys will start thinking he’s a pet if he hangs around much longer.
In completely unrelated news, the garden continues to produce food faster than we can eat, can and freeze. I got a little desperate this weekend, and did a frantic search for eggplant recipes, with the hope of reducing the pile of vegetables that is overtaking my kitchen counter. I landed on Moussaka (which I can’t even pronounce, by the way), and decided that a little experimentation was in order.
I certainly did not have high hopes for this recipe. First, it contained a bunch of ingredients that regularly send the heathens into riot-mode. Second, I am a Louisiana girl, and my pathetically underdeveloped palate is still confounded by the spice combinations that are in a lot of Greek food. Indian food too, for that matter. Lastly, just the simple fact that eggplant is the main ingredient was enough to have my husband doing the dramatic choking/dying pantomime. *Sigh*
Well, lo and behold, we all liked this dish, and I got to rack up the cool mom points for a garden-fresh meal. It was deliciously rich and cheesy, and the eggplant was well-disguised from the heathens’ vegetable-laser-vision. I don’t know how “authentic” this recipe is, but our simpleton taste buds sure enjoyed it, and I was able to reduce my vegetable invasion for at least a day.
I served the Moussaka with a simple Greek salad (also using veggies from the garden):
And got to feel like the Saturday dinner superstar. Want to have a Moussaka adventure of your own? Here’s the recipe I used:
Notes
Ingredients
- 3 eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
- salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon fines herbs
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup red wine
-
1 egg, beaten
- 4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- salt to taste
-
ground white pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
- To make the béchamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
- Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the béchamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!