Saturday, January 31, 2009

Apple Turnovers

1 medium tart apple, peeled and chopped (ie:Granny smith)
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
1 tube refrigerated biscuits
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. sugar
vanilla ice cream

Heat oven to 400-degrees. Combine apple, applesauce, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon in a bowl. Separate biscuits and roll out each into a 6-inch circle. Place biscuits onto greased baking sheet. Place a heaping teaspoonful of apple mixture in the center of each biscuit. Fold biscuit in half and pinch the edges to seal. Brush tops of each biscuit with melted butter. Combine sugar and the rest of the cinnamon; sprinkle over the tops. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Serve warm with vailla ice cream.

Tasty Pork Tenderloin

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 lb. each)
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups applesauce, unsweetened
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 tsp. ginger, ground

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a small, shallow bowl. Cut tenderloins into six pieces and flatten each cut piece to about a 1 inch thickness. In a skillet, melt butter, dip each pork piece into the flour mixture and then brown in skillet, turning to brown on both sides. Place por in an ungreased baking dish. In the same skillet, saute the onion and garlic until tender. Add remaining 5 ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour this mixture over the pork and cover and bake for 1 hour or until juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 160-degrees.

Chalupas

2 lb. lean pork loin roast, boneless
1 lb. pinto beans
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 small can green chilies, peeled and roasted

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cover with water. Cook covered over low heat. Add water as needed. After about 6 hours, take out meat and shred. Cook with lid off until thick, about 1 hour. Serve over tortillas,chips, in a burrito, or over a salad. Add toppings: grated cheese, chopped lettuce, chopped green onions, diced tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, black olives, salsa, hot sauce, etc.

Open Faced Lasagna Ciabattas

1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 (26 oz.) jar favorite pasta sauce
8 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1 (15-oz.) container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
8 ciabatta rolls
1 ball shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Cook sausage over medium heat until browned, about 5-7 minutes; reserve 1/4 cup sausage for ricotta. Reduce heat to low and stir in pasta sauce and basil leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes. Place reserved 1/4 cup sausage, ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, mozzarella, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning into a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Split each ciabatta roll and place cut side up onto a large baking sheet. Spread ricotta mixture over each roll, about 1/4 cup (you probably won't use all of ricotta) Top with a couple spoonfuls of pasta sauce, and lots of fresh mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and hot. Remove, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Bolognese Sauce

I made this sauce for a spaghetti pie, but I liked it so much I thought I'd post it again by itself. I think it would be really yummy in lasagna, sloppy joes, spaghetti, or by itself! It makes a big batch, so plan on freezing half of it for later use!

* 2 lbs. Hot Italian Sausage (I used mild)
* 2 lbs. ground beef (from freezer)
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 lg. yellow onion, diced (from freezer)
* 1 green pepper, diced
* 2 stalks celery, diced
* 2 cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
* 1 bay leaf
* 3 T. dried oregano
* 2 T. dried basil
* 2 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. pepper
* 1 cup dry red wine (optional)
* 2 cans tomato paste (6 oz. each)
* 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Remove sausage from casing. Place in pan with 1/4 cup water and crumble with spoon while browning. When cooked, drain in colander and rinse with very hot water (this washes the extra grease off); set aside.

Brown ground beef, drain, rinse as above, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in dutch oven. Saute celery, onion, and pepper until tender. Add sausage, beef, tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Simmer covered for an hour. Add wine, tomato paste and cinnamon. Simmer covered for 15 minutes.


***Bobbi's Note: When I made this, I completely forgot to add the tomato paste and the cinnamon. I thought it was very delicious without it!! I'm anxious to see if it's even better with all the ingredients! (not likely)

Spaghetti Pie

* 6 oz. spaghetti, cooked and still warm
* 2 tbsp. butter
* 1 well beaten egg
* 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 c. cottage cheese
* 1 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
* 2-3 cups Bolognese sauce (recipe to follow)

Bolognese Sauce: (This recipe makes a lot of sauce and is absolutely delicious. You will only need about a fourth of the sauce for the spaghetti pie, so plan on freezing the extra to use later for lasagna, sloppy joes, spaghetti or by itself!)

* 2 lbs. Hot Italian Sausage (I used mild)
* 2 lbs. ground beef (from freezer)
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 lg. yellow onion, diced (from freezer)
* 1 green pepper, diced
* 2 stalks celery, diced
* 2 cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
* 1 bay leaf
* 3 T. dried oregano
* 2 T. dried basil
* 2 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. pepper
* 1 cup dry red wine (optional)
* 2 cans tomato paste (6 oz. each)
* 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Remove sausage from casing. Place in pan with 1/4 cup water and crumble with spoon while browning. When cooked, drain in colander and rinse with very hot water (this washes the extra grease off); set aside.

Brown ground beef, drain, rinse as above, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in dutch oven. Saute celery, onion, and pepper until tender. Add sausage, beef, tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Simmer covered for an hour. Add wine, tomato paste and cinnamon. Simmer covered for 15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until dinner time. You will use 2-3 cups of the sauce for the Spaghetti Pie and freeze the rest in dated gallon freezer bags.


Spaghetti Pie:

Combine hot cooked spaghetti with butter until butter is melted. Add egg and Parmesan cheese. Place in pie dish and form a "crust" with a well in the center. Spread cottage cheese over spaghetti in pie dish. Cover with Bolognese sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 30 minutes at 350°F or until bubbly. Cut into slices and serve.


***Note: I just realized as I was copying this recipe down that I completely forgot to add the tomato paste and cinnamon to the sauce!!! Oops! It was still very delicious!!!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Chicken Tetrazzini

* 8 oz. linguine, cooked
* 2 cups chicken, cooked & shredded
* 6 Tbsp. butter
* 6 Tbsp. flour
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1/8 tsp. pepper
* 1/2 tsp. celery seed (optional)
* 1 can chicken broth
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 cup heavy cream (may be labeled whipping cream or table cream)
* 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
* 1/4 cup skinned almonds, toasted
* 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
* 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
* 3 Tbsp. Sherry (substitute broth if necessary)

In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until blended then stir constantly over heat for one minute. Add cream gradually, stirring constantly. When smooth, add broth and water. Cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes until slightly thick. Add mushrooms, almonds, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, celery seed, parsley, and sherry. Alternate layers of cooked noodles, chicken, and sauce. Cook at 375°F until it bubbles. Does not freeze well.