Let's Get Cookin!

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

2010-08-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

I made these philly sandwiches for dinner tonight and they were so good! I found the recipe on the food network website. Here's the link http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/philly-cheese-steak-sandwich-recipe/index.html.

For meat, I bought a 1 lb rib-eye steak and had it thinly sliced at the deli. I used half the meat and froze the other half.

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time:10 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 2 sandwiches

Ingredients
•2 fresh Italian sandwich rolls or Kaiser buns, split in half crosswise
•1 white onion, thinly sliced
•1/2 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
•1 teaspoon minced garlic
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
•1/2 pound rib-eye steak, very very thinly shaved or sliced
•1/3 pound thinly sliced white American cheese, or Provolone cheese OR 4 ounces melted cheese whiz

Directions
Heat griddle over medium-high heat. When hot add the oil, onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Push off to 1 side of the griddle.

Add the meat to the griddle and cook, stirring and breaking up with the back of 2 metal spatulas, until almost no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Mix in the Sauteed vegetables. Top with cheese slices and melt. Spoon the cheesy meat mixture into warm buns and serve immediately.

Pierogies

2009-11-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

I know this blog is supposed to be dedicated to quick and easy recipes, of which this dish fits neither categroy. Nevertheless, this was quite the accomplishment in my cooking career so I had to post it. Enjoy!

Pierogies

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
•2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1 large egg
•1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi
•1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
•butter and onions for sauteing
•ingredients for filling of your choice (potato & cheese filling recipe below)

Preparation:

Pierogi Dough
To prepare the pierogi dough, mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a food processor with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Each batch of dough makes about 12-15 pierogies, depending on size.

Prepare the Pierogies
Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8" thick. Cut circles of dough (2" for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2" for large pierogies) with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place a small ball of filling (about a tablespoon) on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.

Boil the perogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.

Saute chopped onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft. Then add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy. Serve with a side of sour cream for a true Pittsburgh pierogi meal.

Homemade Pierogi Tips:

1.If you are having a hard time getting the edges to stick together, you may have too much flour in the dough. Add a little water to help get a good seal.

2.If you don't want to cook all of the pierogies right away, you can refrigerate them (uncooked) for several days or freeze them for up to several months.

3.You can fill pierogies with pretty much anything you want, though potato and cheese is the most common (recipe below). Sweet pierogies are often filled with a prune mixture.

Potato, Cheese & Onion Filling: Peel and boil 5 large potatoes until soft. Red potatoes are especially good for this. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop 1 large onion and saute in butter until soft and translucent. Mash the potatoes with the sauted onions and 4-8oz of grated cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you want your pierogies), adding salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some fresh parsley, bacon bits, chives, or other enhancements if you desire. Let the potato mixture cool and then form into 1" balls.

Source: http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/recipes/r/pierogies.htm

My Notes:

The potato filling makes much more than the dough. We found that 3 batches of dough was perfect for the amount of filling this recipe made. If you don't want to make a lot, my suggestion is to cut down the filling recipe.
When you boil the pierogies they will float. Continue cooking them for the full 8 minutes.
You can use any seasonings for the filling or to sautee with in the frying pan. For the filling, in addition to the potatoes, onions and cheese, I used bacon bits, parsley, salt and pepper. When we sauteed them in the frying pan, we did so with butter, onions and Bacon Bacon (from Tastefully Simple) on top.
Use a cooling rack to dry the pierogies after boiling and before frying. It helps the bottoms dry much faster.

   The potato, cheese and onion filling

Scooping the filling on the cut-out dough

   Sealing the pierogie with a fork

    A plate of uncooked pierogies

    Boiling the pierogies

    Frying the pierogies

Chocolate Pie

2009-10-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

My mom first had this pie a couple of weeks ago at an enrichment activity. When she was out visiting this past weekend we decided to try it out for Sunday desert. It was pretty good! Highly recommended!

Chocolate Pie

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Milk
17 Big Marshmallows
1 Large Hershey Bar
1 Cup Whipping Cream
1 Graham Cracker Crust

Directions:
Melt the milk, marshmallows, and Hershey bar over medium heat until the marshmallows are melted. Cool until thickened. (You may need to place it in the refrigerator if you want to eat it soon.) While the mixture is cooling, whip the whipping cream until stiff. Once the mixture is cooled, fold in the whipping cream. Pour the chocolate mixture into the graham cracker crust.

Topping:
If desired, whip an additional 1 cup of whipping cream. For a sweeter taste, add powdered sugar and almond extract as desired.

One Dish Chicken & Rice Bake

2009-09-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe a couple of weeks ago on the Campbell's Kitchen website. It's easy prep and uses very basic ingredients. Steven loved it and requested it again for dinner last night.

One Dish Chicken & Rice Bake

From: Campbell's Kitchen

Prep: 5 Minutes

Bake: 45 Minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1 Cup Water*
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)

Directions:
Stir the soup, water, rice, paprika and black pepper in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with the chicken. Season with additional paprika and black pepper. Cover the baking dish.
Bake at 375F for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender.
*For creamier rice, increase the water to 1 1/3 cups

My notes:
It's best to thaw the chicken first.
The Paprika and Pepper taste great but don't be afraid to be creative with the seasonings. Steven suggested using Lemon Pepper next time I make it.
If you are using large chicken breasts, 2 is plenty.
In my experience, cooking time is closer to an hour.
The rice may look like it hasn't soaked up all the water but it has. Just give it a little stir.

HAPPY COOKING!

Let's Get Cookin!

2009-09-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

When it comes to domesticity, I tend to be at the bottom of the pile. I've never been good at coming up with new ideas, or adding my own tweeks to recipes. But since getting married, I have come to learn that cooking is a must! Growing up, I would cook dinner with my mom on occassion. There were even those special occassions where I would make a dish myself, such as Overnight Layered Salad for Christmas (which I don't even like!). But my mother was always close by to answer any questions. I've now started a meal planning calendar and shopping list in order to ensure that my husband gets fed! It's a small start but I have a list of about 30 possible dinners to choose from. And I owe these meal ideas to my mother. She has always been a great cook. So mom... this blog is dedicated to you!