Here are our meals for the week...
Monday - taco salad
Tuesday - stir fry
Wednesday - chicken pot pie
Thursday - mac n' cheese with hot dogs
Friday - french onion soup
Okay...I know that Thursday's meal is probably more suited for the twenty-something just moved out on their own crowd....or the young families on the go, however, even though we're thirty-something and no kids...we sometimes need these kind of meals.
I have lots to do in the evenings this week and to be honest my mind is having a hard time planning our meals right now, so I went simple...boring and simple.
Come to think of it, I might actually switch Thursday and Friday's around. I have a Silpada party to go to Friday night, so a quick meal on the go might be better. Yeah...I'll do that.
11.01.2010
10.30.2010
Perishky (Meat Buns)
The mennonite in me knew I was going to have to learn to make these eventually. I love them and I can't keep relying on my 87 year old Grama or my Mom to make them for me.
I asked my mom for the recipe and of course I got the "there is no recipe" and she just explained how to do them. You aren't getting a recipe either, but you are getting step by step pictures...even better!
Now I need to tell you something before you start these. They take a long time to do...they are easy...but time consuming.
Don't start them late in the morning, then decide to go visit your in-laws that live 2 hours away and then come back too late at night to work on them...not that I would do something like that...I'm just saying...don't.
First you need to make a roast like you normally would...make sure you make the gravy too. I did mine the day before I was planning on making these and then just put the roast and gravy (separated) in the fridge.
Then the day you want to make them, make a basic white bread. I used my bread machine (on the "dough" cycle) and did a smaller loaf recipe. I ended up needing to make a second larger recipe...and I used all of it up. I guess it also depends on how much roast you have. It really is trial and error. It's okay if you have to make more bread...it just adds to your time, but gives you an excuse to go have a nap.....or to be productive if you're that kind of person.
Okay so now that you have your bread made and your roast is done and cooled...the fun can begin....and I have pictures of these steps.
If you have a food processor, put your beef in it and grind it right up. You want it completely minced. If you don't have a food processor....go buy one...or deal with the fact that you are going to be chopping and chopping until the end of time.
Add enough gravy that it makes a mushy lovely mess. When I make my roast gravy I add onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup, so I don't need to add much flavor to my "mix" at this point. Depending on your gravy, you might want to add some minced up onions and garlic salt. Actually, come to think of it, I think I added some dried minced onion flakes to it.
Now roll out your dough on a clean floured surface. Roll it out thinner than I have pictured here...this was too thick. Turns out I hate rolling dough. This was the worst part for me.
Use a cup or something round to cut circles. Make sure you dip the rim in flour.
Put some of the roast beef mush in the center of each circle. Fold them up and pinch the seam together....I actually started adding more to each circle after this. This is a high dough to meat ratio.....(do I sound fancy and smart when I use words like "ratio"...I hope I used it right).
Place them seam side down on a parchment lined cookie sheet. At this point I was a little worried, because I didn't think they were looking good.
I covered mine with sprayed wax paper and a tea towel and let them sit until they were double in size. Okay...I lied and didn't have the patience to wait for them to double...but I did let them rise for 2 hours. Maybe they would have gotten bigger faster if I kept them in the oven like my mom suggested...but of course, I had to do it my way. They need to be in a draft free area.
Preheat your oven to 350 or 375 degrees. This is when I moved these on top of my oven so they could feel the warmth and rise a bit more.
Bake them for about 20 minutes...or until golden brown. A basic bun recipe says to do 375 for 20 minutes and since your meat is cooked already, you're just needing to make sure you bread is.
This is when they taste the best....fresh out of the oven.
If you were to start these late on a Sunday morning and then run out of dough and have to make more....
If you decided to go visit your in-laws (who live 2 hours away) before you were done....
If you didn't get home until after 10 pm.....
If you put the dough into the fridge so you can use it for when you had time....
If the next day was Monday so you wouldn't be able to finish them until after work....
If the dough had still kept rising in the fridge this whole time....
They could turn out to look like this...
Again...not that this happened to me...I'm just saying.
I like mine with ketchup. My mom and sister like them with mayo and mustard...which I do too...but this time I was all about the ketchup.
Let me know if you have any questions. Seriously, though...time consuming but easy...especially with a bread machine and a food processor.
I love them and it's a perfect alternative to roast leftovers.
I asked my mom for the recipe and of course I got the "there is no recipe" and she just explained how to do them. You aren't getting a recipe either, but you are getting step by step pictures...even better!
Now I need to tell you something before you start these. They take a long time to do...they are easy...but time consuming.
Don't start them late in the morning, then decide to go visit your in-laws that live 2 hours away and then come back too late at night to work on them...not that I would do something like that...I'm just saying...don't.
First you need to make a roast like you normally would...make sure you make the gravy too. I did mine the day before I was planning on making these and then just put the roast and gravy (separated) in the fridge.
Then the day you want to make them, make a basic white bread. I used my bread machine (on the "dough" cycle) and did a smaller loaf recipe. I ended up needing to make a second larger recipe...and I used all of it up. I guess it also depends on how much roast you have. It really is trial and error. It's okay if you have to make more bread...it just adds to your time, but gives you an excuse to go have a nap.....or to be productive if you're that kind of person.
Okay so now that you have your bread made and your roast is done and cooled...the fun can begin....and I have pictures of these steps.
If you have a food processor, put your beef in it and grind it right up. You want it completely minced. If you don't have a food processor....go buy one...or deal with the fact that you are going to be chopping and chopping until the end of time.
Add enough gravy that it makes a mushy lovely mess. When I make my roast gravy I add onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup, so I don't need to add much flavor to my "mix" at this point. Depending on your gravy, you might want to add some minced up onions and garlic salt. Actually, come to think of it, I think I added some dried minced onion flakes to it.
Now roll out your dough on a clean floured surface. Roll it out thinner than I have pictured here...this was too thick. Turns out I hate rolling dough. This was the worst part for me.
Use a cup or something round to cut circles. Make sure you dip the rim in flour.
Put some of the roast beef mush in the center of each circle. Fold them up and pinch the seam together....I actually started adding more to each circle after this. This is a high dough to meat ratio.....(do I sound fancy and smart when I use words like "ratio"...I hope I used it right).
Place them seam side down on a parchment lined cookie sheet. At this point I was a little worried, because I didn't think they were looking good.
I covered mine with sprayed wax paper and a tea towel and let them sit until they were double in size. Okay...I lied and didn't have the patience to wait for them to double...but I did let them rise for 2 hours. Maybe they would have gotten bigger faster if I kept them in the oven like my mom suggested...but of course, I had to do it my way. They need to be in a draft free area.
Preheat your oven to 350 or 375 degrees. This is when I moved these on top of my oven so they could feel the warmth and rise a bit more.
Bake them for about 20 minutes...or until golden brown. A basic bun recipe says to do 375 for 20 minutes and since your meat is cooked already, you're just needing to make sure you bread is.
This is when they taste the best....fresh out of the oven.
If you were to start these late on a Sunday morning and then run out of dough and have to make more....
If you decided to go visit your in-laws (who live 2 hours away) before you were done....
If you didn't get home until after 10 pm.....
If you put the dough into the fridge so you can use it for when you had time....
If the next day was Monday so you wouldn't be able to finish them until after work....
If the dough had still kept rising in the fridge this whole time....
They could turn out to look like this...
Again...not that this happened to me...I'm just saying.
I like mine with ketchup. My mom and sister like them with mayo and mustard...which I do too...but this time I was all about the ketchup.
Let me know if you have any questions. Seriously, though...time consuming but easy...especially with a bread machine and a food processor.
I love them and it's a perfect alternative to roast leftovers.
10.26.2010
Beef Barley Soup
This is seriously so easy...and delicious! It's even easier if you have a food processor and a slow cooker. It makes LOTS, but freezes well.
My old crock pot used to fit the entire recipe, but it has gone to appliance heaven so now I'm using my sister's old one (she wasn't using it so she gave it to me) and it's quite a bit smaller....the whole recipe doesn't fit in it. You'll have to look at the amount of ingredients and use your smarts to figure out if it will fit or not.
I got this recipe from my mom....I've always loved her Beef Barley Soup.
Now this is where I have to skip a step. You are suppose to add another 6 cups of water, but because I don't have room for it, I don't...however, if you do...make sure you add it. If you don't...you'll have a soggy messy mushy mess. I explain what I do at the end, but it's not as good as if I were to add it now...and it's more tedious.
Set it on low for the day. If your crock pot fits all of it in, then you're done!
When I get home from work I pour half the soup into a large pot. Then I add water to both the pot and the crock pot and I try to let it cook as long as I can to absorb the flavour. It doesn't have as much flavour as it would if the water cooked in it all day. Mine always tastes better as leftovers because of this. If you have room, add that water...it makes a huge consistency and flavour difference.
Here are our leftovers, after we ate our dinner and put some aside for someone.
My old crock pot used to fit the entire recipe, but it has gone to appliance heaven so now I'm using my sister's old one (she wasn't using it so she gave it to me) and it's quite a bit smaller....the whole recipe doesn't fit in it. You'll have to look at the amount of ingredients and use your smarts to figure out if it will fit or not.
I got this recipe from my mom....I've always loved her Beef Barley Soup.
pour 6 cups of water in your slow cooker
add 6 beef bouillon cubes or omit water and cubes and use beef broth instead...or use this stuff...
add one can of tomato soup
one can diced tomatoes
2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups shredded potatoes
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup barley
Now this is where I have to skip a step. You are suppose to add another 6 cups of water, but because I don't have room for it, I don't...however, if you do...make sure you add it. If you don't...you'll have a soggy messy mushy mess. I explain what I do at the end, but it's not as good as if I were to add it now...and it's more tedious.
add 1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper and 1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp thyme
Looks like dog food, doesn't it? I did not like it this way. I was lazy and just cubed up a chilled left over roast. I should have shredded it. I actually normally use ground beef in this recipe, but I had quite a few roasts to use, so I used it. Anyways...add 3 cups cooked roast beef or 2 lbs ground beef, cooked.
Set it on low for the day. If your crock pot fits all of it in, then you're done!
When I get home from work I pour half the soup into a large pot. Then I add water to both the pot and the crock pot and I try to let it cook as long as I can to absorb the flavour. It doesn't have as much flavour as it would if the water cooked in it all day. Mine always tastes better as leftovers because of this. If you have room, add that water...it makes a huge consistency and flavour difference.
Here are our leftovers, after we ate our dinner and put some aside for someone.
The printable version tells you how to cook it on your stove top if you don't want to go with the slow cooker version.
10.25.2010
October 25 - 29
Here are our meals for this week...
Monday - omelets...one of my "go to" meals for busy days....easy and healthy.
Tuesday - carrot soup....yes, I said I was making it last week but after working late on the night we were suppose to have it, I didn't feel like making dinner so we're having it this week.
Wednesday - lime chicken soft tacos
Thursday - meatball hereos with spring mix
Friday - tortellini, caesar salad and garlic bread...I'm having my niece for night and I asked her what she wanted for dinner. I told her she could have anything she wanted and this is what she chose.
Monday - omelets...one of my "go to" meals for busy days....easy and healthy.
Tuesday - carrot soup....yes, I said I was making it last week but after working late on the night we were suppose to have it, I didn't feel like making dinner so we're having it this week.
Wednesday - lime chicken soft tacos
Thursday - meatball hereos with spring mix
Friday - tortellini, caesar salad and garlic bread...I'm having my niece for night and I asked her what she wanted for dinner. I told her she could have anything she wanted and this is what she chose.
10.24.2010
Grasshopper Pie
I really need to work on my "food" photography. This is a horrible picture. I should of thought about that nasty red countertop before I took this picture. It's from our Thanksgiving weekend, so this is the lovely countertop that was in the cabin.
Please don't let the picture stop you from making this. I do not like pies, but I love this one!! It's minty...it's fluffy and actually quite light tasting...a perfect dessert after a heavier meal.
One of my girlfriends hates marshmallows and anything marshmallow flavoured, but she loved this one, so just try it! You'll thank me later.
I got the recipe from Betty Crocker. I really don't make too many changes. I normally add extra creme de menthe and with that extra I don't need the food colouring. Instead of white creme de cacao, I just used that flavour syrup...you know...those kind that coffee shops have....yeah....that kind. You can get Creme De Cacao coffee syrup so it works well...and that's really it.
Printable Recipe Here
Let me know if you love it! It's one of my favorite desserts.
10.21.2010
Mushroom Spinach Salad
My favorite thing about this salad is the dressing....it has bbq sauce in it. I never would have thought of doing something like that....it's a good thing there are a few people smarter than me out there.
You can print the recipe off from here.
We served this at our annual Thanksgiving weekend along with chili and scones.
I never add the water chestnuts to this...I don't really like those. I also buy those "real" bacon bits (we all know they're not) instead of frying up bacon...it's so much easier that way.
Let me know if you try it!
10.18.2010
October 18 - 23
Here are our meals for this week...
Monday - picking dinner up. I think I'll pick up some California Rolls for me and I have no idea for Ben yet. I have LOTS to do tonight, so making dinner doesn't work for me.
Tuesday - carrot soup
Wednesday - asian beef and cabbage salad
Thursday - artichoke and tomatoe chicken with angel hair pasta
Friday - crispy orange beef, broccoli and rice.
Monday - picking dinner up. I think I'll pick up some California Rolls for me and I have no idea for Ben yet. I have LOTS to do tonight, so making dinner doesn't work for me.
Tuesday - carrot soup
Wednesday - asian beef and cabbage salad
Thursday - artichoke and tomatoe chicken with angel hair pasta
Friday - crispy orange beef, broccoli and rice.
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