Loaded Scalloped Potaotes

Scalloped potatoes loaded with fresh chives, bacon, sour cream and three types of cheese.

4-5 medium red potatoes, thinly sliced with mandolin

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1/4 cup sour cream

Nutmeg

Ground thyme

Paprika

Fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup  shredded asiago cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese plus 1.4 cup for topping

1/2 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese

5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 tablespoons fresh cut chives

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375°

Soak potato slices in large bowl filled with cold water

In medium saucepan over medium heat melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. When butter is completely melted add flour, stirring continuously, cook until medium blonde in color. Add sour cream and stir. Add milk, half a cup at a time and whisking to prevent clumps. Add a dash of each spice (nutmeg, thyme, paprika and pepper) then begin adding cheeses, stirring constantly til all are melted. Fold in 1/2 the bacon and all of the chives. Add more spices or salt to taste. Set to side.

Butter the bottom and sides of baking dish. Melt remaining butter and set aside. Drain potatoes and begin layering half in dish, top with half of the melted butter and cheese sauce. Continue layering remaining potatoes topping with remaining butter and sauce when finished. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Uncover and top with remaining bacon and 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, brown in oven, uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes

A Cold Night, A Warm Dessert

The weather changed early this evening, The wind started blowing and the temperature dropped, it actually felt like the start of fall. When the weather changes like that, it calls for something ooey, gooey & warm.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Hot Pots

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1/2 cup butter

1 tablespoon Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar 

3 tablespoons flour

Cherry preserves

Preheated oven to 400° 

Butter four 2/3-cup ramekins and set aside.

In microwave safe bowl,melt together the semisweet chocolate and butter,stirring every 15 - 20 seconds.Let stand for few seconds to cool slightly. Stir in liqueur.

In a bowl combine eggs,sugar and flour,stir in cooled chocolate. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins, only filling halfway. Place 1 teaspoon of cherry preserves in the center of each ramekin. Cover preserves with remaining mixture. 

Bake until tops are no longer shiny and crack. Let cool for a few seconds, serve warm with or without ice cream.

* Preserves can be omitted, just divide mixture evenly between the ramekins

Quick, Easy and Inexpensive Meat Sauce

I'm a coupon shopper and am always looking for deals. I like to splurge on some meals and others, I just try to make it taste as if I did. This sauce cost me about $4.00 to make. I bought canned sauce, diced tomatoes, ground pork then added spices that I already had. Top spaghetti with this and you have a meal that will feed 4-6 people for under $5.00. Yes, you can buy sauce from a jar for less, but it won't have the same flavor that this does.

1lb ground pork

2 tablespoons basil leaves

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 14.5 ounce can Hunt's diced tomatoes, sweet onion flavor

1 26.5 ounce can Hunt's traditional Spaghetti Sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

Brown ground pork with basil, oregano, crushed red pepper and garlic. Add diced tomatoes, sauce, brown sugar and bay leaves. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer til sauce thickens, about 30 - 40 minutes. Before serving, remove bay leaves.

A Few Tips

I've been off for a couple days and cooking quite alot. However, I'm still tweaking a few recipes before I post them. I thought I would share a few tips that I have learned over the years. Hopefully, you will find them useful too!

1. ALWAYS heat your pan before adding oil if you plan on browning and sauteing. Why? Because cold oil on a hot pan help keep things from sticking!

2. When using  heavy cream, or an abundance of dairy, in dishes like creamed spinach or macaroni & cheese use fresh ground nutmeg. It breaks up the "dairy" taste and adds an earthy warmth to the dish.

3. Add 1-2 bay leaves to dishes like soups, stews and Italian or Mediterranean sauces. (Remove the leaves before serving.) Bay leaves add a background flavor to these type of dishes.

4. If you are using canned tomatoes or sauce to make spaghetti, add 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar. This cuts the tangy flavor that some canned tomato products have. HOWEVER, always add a little at a time and taste frequently. No two cans are the same and therefor, you may need more or less to break the taste down.

5. When making pasta remember, add oil to the pasta if you don't intend on the sauce clinging. In other words, with spaghetti you want the sauce on each strand, it's the focus of the meal. Therefor, keep your boiling water rolling without any added oil. The pasta shouldn't stick if the water is boiling rapid enough. With manicotti you want the sauce more as a "dressing" because the filling is the star of the dish. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to help keep the pasta from sticking.

6. Always add COLD water to cornstarch before adding it to a hot ingredient to thicken. Adding the cornstarch directly, or mixing with hot water, will cause clumps in sauces, soups etc. With flour, always fry with butter or oil before adding liquid to prevent clumps.

7. Try using non-metallic bowls and mixing utensils. Metallic ones react with some ingredients, not a good taste in the mouth!

This is just a few of the tips I have, when I remember some more I'll be sure to share them!

Happy Cooking!

Veggie Pizza

I came up with this simple and quick pizza because I had leftover vegetables sitting in the refrigerator. It's become a favorite with my kids and they actually request that I make it. Yes, it uses an already made sauce and pizza shell, but it's suppose to be a simple meal for a night you really don't want to cook.

1 Ready made pizza shell, I use Mamma Mary's

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons tomato& basil Alfredo sauce, I use Francesco Rinaldi

1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup each of shredded mozzarella, cheddar and asiago cheeses

1 Roma tomato, chopped

1/4 cup each of chopped green and red bell peppers

1/4 cup chopped broccoli

1.4 cup matchstick carrots

1/4 cup chopped red onion

handful fresh spinach

Preheat oven to temperature on pizza shell package

Spread olive oil over pizza shell and top with Alfredo sauce, red pepper flakes, black pepper and cheeses. Layer vegetables, top with a little more cheese if desired and bake according to package instructions.

Now, how simple was that?

Dessert: Roasted Pears

I made this dessert after a steak night. I thought it was an excellent ending to a romantic meal with my husband. The evenings are starting to get cooler so a warm dessert is perfect for this time of the year.

2 Bosc pears, halved and cores removed

1/2 cup pineapple rum

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 375

In heavy sauce pan heat rum, sugar and butter til butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Place pear halves, inside up, in shallow baking dish and prick in several spots with fork. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of rum sauce over each one. Bake until tender, about 30 minutes, turning halves over halfway through baking and spooning sauce over each one as needed.

Serve each pear, inside facing up, topped with ice cream and drizzled with remaining rum sauce

Side Dish: Kale

This was my first attempt at making Kale. I decided to make it the same way I go about making other greens, like collards. Next time, I'll steam them a little bit longer to soften the stems more, or leave them out all together.

1 bunch Kale, washed and chopped into 2" pieces

3 slices Applewood smoked bacon, chopped into 1" pieces

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 minced garlic cloves

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2-3 teaspoons white sugar

1 tablespoon butter

Steam Kale til tender and set aside.

Cook bacon in butter over medium heat. When bacon is almost done, add onion and saute til soft. Add garlic and saute for a few minutes more. Add balsamic vinegar, sugar and kale. saute till heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Tested: Knorr Homestyle Stock

I tried this new Knorr concentrated stock last night when I made chicken and calabacita. At first I just wanted to play with it, it's like chicken flavored jello, gelatinous and wiggly!

Despite it's funky look, it's pretty good! You can dilute it as much as you like with gives you control over the flavor strength. While you could taste the flavor, it wasn't overpowering and went well with the overall dish. The aroma is nice anf fresh, just like homemade.

I still need to give it a try in dishes that normally call for bouillon. It has less salt and richer flavor so I'm confident it's going to work well in those too. I'm definitely recommending this one!

HEB Breakfast Breads

I had to give a shout out to my employer, HEB, for putting out this awesome line of breakfast breads. I use the French Toast version because it's thick enough to handle an egg soak for making traditional and stuffed french toast. It doesn't fall apart!

Also, if you like the taste of McGriddle sandwiches, this is the perfect bread. It's already loaded with cinnamon & syrup. Just take your favorite maple sausage, fried egg, cheese, two toasted slices and voila, you have your own McGriddle! You can even add a little extra syrup on the slices and it won't soak through!

Stuffed FrenchToast

I decided my husband needed to have a sugar rush this morning so I made him this dish with a side of scrambled eggs. I got the idea from IHOP when they introduced stuffed french toast on their menu a few years back.

For my recipe, I use a specialty bread that the local grocery store sells but you can use any type of thick cut bread that you like.

4 slices  HEB French Toast Breakfast Bread

3  Eggs

1 tablespoon  milk or heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 tablespoon brown sugar

The filling:

4 ounces softened cream cheese

2-3 teaspoons white sugar

4 tablespoons blueberry or cherry preserves (not jelly)

Butter for frying

In a bowl, lightly scrambled the first set of ingredients (eggs through brown sugar) and set aside.

Mix cream cheese and sugar, spread on 1 side of each bread slice. Top two slices with preserves then place remaining slices, cream cheese down, on top of ones with preserves. You should have two cream cheese/preserve sandwiches.

Soak each side of the sandwiches in egg  mixture for about 30 -45 seconds per side. Cook about 3-5 minutes per side in fry pan coated with butter, gauging temp to prevent burning. 

Top with powdered sugar or whipped cream if desired.

Spicy Chili

Over the weekend, I participated in a Chili Cookoff and tied for fourth place. Thought I would share the recipe. I hope you try it, modify and make it your own.

Enjoy!


1 tablespoon of oil
2 lbs. beef chili meat (I used ground)
2 lbs. pork chili meat (I use ground)
6-8 cloves fresh garlic 
1 cup chopped onion
15 oz. can tomato sauce
15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 quart beef stock, more if needed
1 bottle Shiner beer (optional)

4-5 Rocoto Chilis, jarred in brine and sliced*
4-5 Habanero Chilis
6-8 Ancho Chili Pods


5 tablespoons oil  
4 tablespoons flour 
4 tablespoons chili powder 
1 tablespoon whole comino, freshly ground
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns, freshly ground
Salt to taste

For Ancho Chili pods: Remove the stems and seeds from the pods, simmer in hot water until the skin loosens, scrape pulp and reserve.

Peel and chop the garlic.

Brown the meat, chopped onion and the garlic in 1 tablespoon oil. Add the tomato sauce, the stock and simmer one hour adding more stock or beer if needed. 

Add the Rocoto chilies, reserved chili pulp and Habaneros to the chili meat. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes.

Heat 5 tablespoons of oil. Fry the flour, pepper, comino, chili powder for 5 minutes, add roux to the meat. Simmer over low heat for 1/2 hour. 


* Rocoto chilies are grown in Peru and available in the states at Latin markets. If you can't find them replace them with a hot pepper of your choice.

The Chili-cheese Dog!

One of my step-sons, Andrew, is always raving about a Mexican hotdog he gets after a night of bar hopping. I've never seen it or tasted it but I guess it's the shit. I made the decision, after hearing about it the umpteenth time, to make a hotdog to outshine it. I think I did!

I give you......The Half Pound Footlong Chilidog!

Like I said, it's a half pound footlong that I topped with homemade chili, shredded cheese, standard condiments, green onions and held by two buns.

He ate it all!

The First Post!

While my husband sits in his Lazyboy waiting to hear about racer Dan Wheldon, I am sitting here thinking about what to write about. I guess I should just introduce myself, a little background is always nice.

My name is Sheri and I live in San Antonio, Texas. Married, mother of 2, step-mother of 4 and grandmother of 2. My husband has congestive heart failure, my daughter is a Senior at UT Austin (Go Longhorns!) and my son is about to turn 14. Because of my husband's illness, I've had to become our family's main income. I got stuck in retail, not always the greatest. I wouldn't mind it except that it comes with strange hours that seem to always interrupt important things, like dinner! The good side about my job is that I get to be home alot to spend time with my husband and kids. It also gives me the opportunity to try recipes I've seen or have thought of. Occasionally my husband, Joe, and I go out for lunch to old haunts and new places. I get ideas from these places as well. I take those ideas, modify them and make them my own.

I'm going to be blogging on recipes, restaurants, bars, food shows and sometimes our lives. I hope someone out there finds my stories, recipes and thoughts enjoyable!

UPDATE: Just announced, Dan Wheldon has died. How sad but at least he was doing what he loved to do......race.