Chefs-R-Us: January 2010

Week 23

Sunday January 17th, 2010

Swedish Meatballs, Mint Chocolate Mousse Dessert

I chose the Swedish meatball recipe to try out some ground turkey. Years ago, when Isabel was a weee thing, I often cooked with ground turkey as a substitute for ground beef. Then, one day I bought a different brand. It was disgusting, and unfortunately I never tried it again. That's quite pathetic, as I think about it. Recently, with the ever tightening waistline in my jeans, I decided to look for opportunities to make some changes in our food consumption. This recipe called for a couple different kinds of meat, to which I substituted ground beef and ground turkey. It resulted in light and tasty meatballs. Normally I don't like meatballs much-- too much meat. I am happy to report that ground turkey has earned back it's place again in our diet.

As for dessert. This one looked so good to me. I have a weakness for Chocolate and Mint above and beyond my weakness for any and all things containing sugar. Usually I do not plan ahead enough to make a dessert such as this. The start to finish time is over 5 hours since the ice cream has to reset. This meant starting it in the morning so it would have time to set while we were at church. Everything went well smoothly and we enjoyed having dessert all ready for us when we came home.

Jordan -What a poser!

He is head dessert chef today!

Loading up the Ninja with the nilla wafers. No more pounding crackers inside a ziploc with a meat mallet anymore! Wahoo!

They are crushed to perfection in seconds

Spooning the Crust into the pan

While we were cooking the kids took turns exploring their new "Toy"-- their very own Note Book laptop. JJ had a work party the night before and we won first prize in the raffle. I was excited because we had been wanting to get them a computer since we NEVER let them use our laptops-- With very good reason!!! Our old keyboard still has paper clips stuffed in between the keys that I can't get out. Actually, that wasn't even the original key board, that was an old one my friend gave me to replace the keyboard they drowned with water! So, they know this is their shot to have a computer. If they mess it up we aren't replacing it!

Isabel's turn to help while head chef is playing games on PBS kids.

Note to self-- make sure pan is completely even in the freezer as the dessert sets--OOPs!

It looks like the tide is going out!

It was cute, while I smoothed the ice cream over the baked filling before putting it in the freezer, Isabel watched me intently with a perplexed look on her face. She finally admitted, "I just don't understand how you are going to bake ice-cream in the oven"

Teaching Isabel how to chop and onion without chopping her fingers.

Carrot Swords

Rolling Meatballs

Laney gave the meatballs thumbs down, but I think she actually hadn't even tasted them yet when this was taken. She ended up changing her mind later.

Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients

2 slices fresh white bread

1/4 cup milk

3 tablespoons clarified butter, divided

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 pound ground chuck (I used ground beef)

3/4 pound ground pork (I used ground turkey)

2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup all-purpose flour3 cups beef broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

DirectionsPreheat oven to 200 degrees F.Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve. (We poured it over bow tie pasta.)

Mint Chocolate Mousse Dessert

Crust

2 cups Vanilla Wafers

1/2 Cup butter melted

Filling

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate (melted)

3 eggs

1/2 gallon mint ice cream ( used 1.5 quart container)

Sauce

4 oz. semi sweet chocolate

(chopped)1/3 butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 -5 oz. (2/3 cup) can evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.Mix crushed wafers with butter and press into bottom of ungreased 9x13 pan. bake @ 350 for 10 min. or until golden brown. Combine filling ingredients (except ice-cream) and beat until smooth. Poor over partially baked crust. Bake @ 350 for 12-15 min or until set. Cool completely.soften ice cream enough to spread over filling and crust. Cover with foil and freeze 4 hours or until firm. Just before serving. Combine sauce ingredients in a pan (except for vanilla) and bring to boil stirring constantly. reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let dessert stand at room temp. for a few minutes before cutting. Spoon sauce over top.

Review:

This recipe, can be difficult for the planning challenged, such as myself. But if you can manage to break the bonds of procrastination, it is well worth the effort. This was incredibly tasty. Even JJ (a non dessert guy) helped himself to a piece each night we had it.

Week 22

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

Beef Enchiladas, Double Fudge Brownies

Making dinner with Grammy

My parents came to visit for a few days. The kids were so excited to see Grammy and Grandpa, especially since my mom came bearing Christmas gifts. Holy cow, it was like Christmas Day all over again! She likes to spoil them, much to my chagrin. But, she is very thoughtful and they loved the things she picked out for them. As you can see Laney is wearing the goggles from a dart gun set she got for Jordan.

He loves it, and looks a little too Al Caponish in this picture

Beef Enchilada Preparation:

Since my Dad is highly carnivorous, it was time to get out the large roast from the freezer and put it to use for the meal. I only buy roasts when we have family in town because I am not a huge fan of large chunks of red meat. Since we rarely have roast to cook with, I have never tried making Beef enchiladas before. It was a good compromise, satisfying his thirst for blood and my need for other ingredients.

Double Fudge Time!

My mom found this brownie pan she had been wanting that cooks them in pre-cut slices. I wanted to see how it worked so we made one of the recipes from it's booklet.

The Leaning tower of chocolate

I don't know if that bowl is clean enough guys.

Better lick it some more!

Yes, that's better!

Look at those chocoholics! Where do they get it from?

Certainly not me!

Brownies going in....

Brownies coming out! Wow, it does work!

This little pan was great! I hate waiting for brownies to cool to eat them. So, they usually end up served as a gooey mess. Not this time. Even piping hot, they came out in perfect chunks.

Beef Enchiladas

3 pounds beef chuck roast

1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 large onion, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups sour cream
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup oil for frying
20 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1-2 cans Green Enchilada sauce

Directions

1.Place roast in a large saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Pour in water, cover, and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Increase heat to medium/high, and brown the roast on all sides. Once the water has boiled away, pour in the beef broth, vinegar, chili powder and 1 tablespoon of cumin. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the beef falls apart when you try to pick it up. Shred the beef, using 2 forks or your fingers. Place shredded beef back into the saucepan with all the juices, and let cool to room temperature. ( I didn't do this. I just sliced the roast stuck it straight into the crock pot and poured the mixture over it. )

2.In a large skillet, saute the onion until just soft, not browned. Mix in flour and green chilies. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook the flour taste out. Stir in sour cream and 2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese. Cook on low for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the cheese is all melted and mixed. Set aside and let cool. ( I added a can of enchilada sauce into the creamy mixture, but it coagulated and didn't look very good)

3.In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil. Using tongs dip the tortillas, one at a time, into the oil for 30 seconds each side. Drain on paper towels. (I dipped the tortillas in green enchilada sauce instead)

4.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spread 4 tablespoons of sour cream mixture down the center of the tortilla. Top with about the same amount of beef. Roll up and place seam side down in one or two 8x11 inch baking dish. Repeat for each tortilla. Continue until you are out of the filling. Sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. (I poured rest of enchilada mixture over the top to moisten them)

5.Bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

Bottom Line:My family really like these, especially my dad, but I thought they turned out dry. I think I would change some things if I made them again.

Double Fudge Brownies

6 oz. Unsweetened Choc

1 Cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup flour
½ tsp. Salt
½ cup hot fudge
Nuts (optional)

Melt butter and Choc. In sauce pan. Mix with sugar in a mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. Pour into greased pan. Dollop hot fudge over the top of the brownies. Bake @325 for 25-30 min or until cooked through. Makes fudgelike brownies!

Brownie Review

Very tastey brownies. They were extremely rich and reminded me more of fudge than brownies. They didn't need the fudge topping. It would have been better to leave it out and simply call them Fudge brownies. Thumbs way up for the brownie pan!

The kids enjoyed the brownies and their weekend with their grandparents. We went to the zoo, rode paddle boats at Kiwanis park, went out for Thai food, saw Avatar in IMAX 3-D (without the kids of course), and even played rock band (my mom did great on guitar).

In fact I have to include this little clip of the kids rocking out with their grandma!

Week 21 Sunday January 3, 2010

Vegetarian Moussaka, Greek Salad, Carmel Apple Cheesecake

This Sunday JJ's boss and his family were coming over for dinner. Their daughter Kirin was heading back to college and we wanted to see her before she left. Their other daughter Chandra lives here in town and just graduated from ASU. We love their family and they have become like family to us. It's a little nerve racking trying a new recipe when it's for other people and generally not a good idea. But it is tradition. Their daughter Kirin is mostly a vegetarian so I thought it would be a great chance to try out a new vegetarian dish. When I was planning this meal , for some reason I had the hankering for Greek food. I started thinking about my favorite thing to order at My Big Fat Greek Resturaunt-- Moussaka. Then I read how much meat it called for.... But... then I thought in a world that has an increasing number of vegans and vegetarians, I figured somewhere, was a vegetarian version. And so I found one online- a great place for recipes. The best part about online recipes, are the reviews, and this one had great reviews! I found a Greek salad recipe that sounded tasty and the only thing missing was some yummy bread. Let's face it, I am a carboholic. A meal truly isn't complete without a fantastic grain. I knew no pita I could make or buy was going to compare with the soft and chewy ones from the resturua

nt. It turns out you can just by their pitas individually.and fairly economically, 50 cents a piece. To buy a pack at fresh and easy was about the same. Yum! I knew with those babies, even if the Moussaka bombed, it would be okay. I bought way more than we needed, which meant leftovers for us! :) Actually the missionaries came for dinner the next day, so I incorporated the rest into that meal.

I picked up the pitas on Saturday night and all I needed to do was fry them up in butter and garlic right before dinner to have the fresh taste. I was so proud of my planning ahead. This was a major advancement for me. Usually I get those bright ideas too late to act on them --about 5 minutes before we are to sit down to dinner. I also took into account our new,(sigh), time for church- 1 pm. Yes, that's right, 1 pm. Isn't that awful time usually reserved for the singles ward? :). Actually it isn't as bad as I remember, especially now that my children aren't nappers. The later schedule does provide time to accomplish things in the morning, like dinner and dessert for instance. Knowing our limited time frame after church and the complexity of our chosen meal, we prepared ahead of time, snaps for us!

Since everything was new, I wanted at least one thing I had tried before. This was the day to try the Carmel Apple Cheesecake recipe again. At least I had tasted the original product at one time and we definitely had learned what not to do in week 3. This time it was going to be great!

Laney - Head Dessert Chef -- Consulting the recipe

Apparently there was a bit of a mutiny from Laney and Jordan, who decided they wanted a chance to be head chef too. Isabel has magnanimously decided to share her title with her siblings. Now they each take turns being Head Dessert Chef.

Jordan has become quite adept at egg cracking

Isabel the Chopper

Spreading the Cream Cheese filling.

Way to Go! Head Chef Laney.

Layering the apples

Ready for the oven and this time it's done right!

Great Team Work Guys!

Look at all that Eggplant!!!

Frying it up. JJ quickly learned the eggplant is highly absorbent. After the first batch soaked up the entire puddle of oil within minutes he decided to cook them in the more heart friendly substitute- Water.

Lookin good!

Layering the eggplant sauce and cheese like lasagne.

Vegetarian Moussaka, Greek Salad, Pita Bread

Vegetarian Moussaka

(We doubled this recipe to make one rather large pan)

Ingredients
2 small eggplants

3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 package of veggie ground round (170g)
1 onion chopped
ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (or 1/8 for a milder taste)
2 canned tomatoes chopped (we used 2 cans diced tomatoes for double recipe)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 whole eggs

Bechamel Sauce ( I think he made more bechamel than it called for, this is a pretty small amout)

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon soy flour or white flour
1 cup of 2% milk or 3.25% milk
1/4 teaspoon salt ( Bechamel sauce)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper (Bechamel sauce)

Directions:

Peel eggplants and cut into thick slices. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and set aside for 15 minutes. Wash off excess salt and drain. Spray a dash of light cooking spray onto a skillet and add the eggplant slices and fry until lightly browned on both sides. Spray frying pan with light cooking spray and heat the veggie round. Add the onions and fry until soft and golden. Season with remaining salt (1/4 tsp), pepper and cinnamon. Add tomatoes, parsley and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. (we cooked it in our self stirring pot for 1-2 hours like we do a regular red sauce)Sprinkle 1/2 the breadcrumbs into a cooking pan that has been coated with a light cooking spray and cover with half of the veggie round mixture. Add 1/2 the eggplant slices. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat with layers of remaining veggie round, eggplant and 1/2 the remaining cheese.

Beat the egg yolks in a bowl. Beat in a few TABLESPOONS of hot Bachamel sauce at a time (very important to add in the Bachamel sauce VERY slowly). Pour sauce over the dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until crust is crisp and brown. Serve with yogurt and a salad.

Bachamel Sauce
Melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook over low heat for 1 minute. Add the milk and gradually, stirring with a wire whisk, to form a smooth medium thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Everyone seemed to really enjoy the Moussaka. It turned out a bit watery, but that made it was great soak up with the pita bread!

The Ultimate Greek Salad Recipe

Dressing
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mediterranean is best)
I added a little sugar

Salad
1 head romain lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
3 large plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 English cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped (the long, thin, almost seedless ones)
1 medium red onion, cut into thin rings
1 small green pepper, cut into thin rings
3/4 cup kalamata olive
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Great salad! It was nice having something different than the usual.

Carmel Apple Cheese Cake

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/2 brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 apples granny smith apples, diced thinly
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Struesel Topping
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup butter

Garnish

1/2 cup caramel topping

Directions:

In medium bowl, mix flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter . Press into a 9x13 pan or springform. Bake @ 350 for 15 min. In a large bowl beat cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla. Pour over warm crust.

Mix apples with 2 tbsp. sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture. Add struesal

mixture on top. Bake @ 350 for 35-40 min until set. Drizzle Caramel topping over when serving.

This recipe is so yummy. When I ate it I remembered why I wanted to make it.

I felt badly later when I realized I never got a picture of their family eating dinner with us. I will have to remember next time. I did however get a couple of little videos of us playing Rock Band together. We borrowed Rock Band and the Xbox from our friends because we thought Ed and the family would have fun. Turns out we were right they stayed late rockin' out! The kids had a blast too. They've gotten pretty good since then. This night was only their second time trying it out.

This was the first song of the night

Isabel is singing, JJ is on Guitar, and Jordan is playing the drums ,

It's hard to see, Laney is sitting on JJ's lap playing the drum and Ed is rockin' on guitar. I love how into it he is!

Side Story
It's kind of funny-- After this night, We ended up having the system for a few weeks, and I think even as early as week one, I found one of Isabel's school papers in which they had to write a goal for the new quarter. On it, they list some things that can keep them from attaining their goal. I noticed the number one goal inhibitor she listed was Rock Band. Even at her age she's realized it proabably wouldn't be a good idea for us to have the system permanently. We did enjoy our temporary new medium of entertainment. Once I got the hang of it, I found myself really getting into it, especially rocking out on the drums. I have to admit, the night we played with Ed and his family, I was quite horrible. After they left and the kids were in bed, we played some more. I got much better and found myself falling in love with the drums. I don't aquire new skills in front of others very well. I was really shy as a kid and I think some elements of that have remained with me as an adult. Oh well, something to work on I guess.

Week 20 Thursday December 24th- Tuesday December 29th

Christmas Vacation

On Vacation weekends we don't follow our traditional dinner/dessert line-up. I do try to highlight a meal in some way if possible but this time through the business of helping with the Christmas Eve dinner and then the frenzy of snarfing it down, I didn't get pictures of it. But I do have some photographic representation of some of the highlights of our vacation. That will have to do for this week.

We had such a wonderful visit with JJ's family. The kids had a great time bonding with thier cousins, aunts, uncles, and of course, their grammy and grandpa. I am so thankful they get a chance to develop those relationships while they are young and hopefully they will only get stronger as they grow. JJ's family has the traditional big dinner on Christmas eve which makes Christmas day a time of lounging in our pajamas enjoying the fruits of our labor from the previous day.

In addition, the near week long vacation was filled with good food, conversation, trips to several parks, a tour of the new Las Vegas City Center, "Princess and the Frog"," Sherlock Holmes", a cousin sleepover, many Mastermind games, thoughtful Christmas gifts, bike rides, more games, double dates-- what more could we ask for?

After Christmas Eve dinner, the kids decorate ginger bread houses. They love decorating and eating the candy. Every year I am amazed at how unique each house is even when everyone is using the same kinds of candy. Their little personalities show on each one.

What a cute line-up

Jordan's Stocking Socks

I don't think he remembers that candy goes in those!

We do the traditional Christmas Eve jammies. This year JJ's mom got all the kids cute jammie sets and robes for Christmas presents. The kids loved them!

JJ chilling with his sister Vanessa and brother Zach

My adorable little niece Olivia snuggling her dad. JJ's sister Stephanie had three boys and then finally got a little girl! She's a tough cookie, who holds her own with her brothers.

Auntie Vanessa did the girls hair and make-up.

They loooove Vanessa.

Crazy Lane!

Laney and Nathan were pals at the park

What a cutie!

Isabel with her cousin Levi

They are great friends- Levi is the big brother she never had.

Riding her new bike. This is how she spent most of her time at the parks!

And this too!

We took the kids to some fun parks over the weekend. They call this the flower park. It is such a fun place and a great spot for pictures. We had a blast playing hide and go seek tag with the kids!